So the players have successfully rescued Alexander and made off with a grav RV stuffed with Darrian-made equipment. IMTU, the Darrians are a thriving culture that has achieved TL 16, but with a twist. To give it an 'alien' feeling (and to keep players from happily buying up Darrian gear and incorporating it into their kits) I have based Darrian tech on bio-science. Almost any gear they get will incorporate a living component.

For example, the interrogation chamber and the control panels that Nekko so gleefully shot up bled.

heh. This really wierded them out, as they began going over their new toys ...

They fled the warehouse and holed up in a parking garage to take stock and try to determine how much trouble they might be in. I was prepared for this, and passed them this write-up of the news coverage of their actions, and a bit of forewarning of what the night's adventuring held for them. You see, they hadn't so much destroyed the drones as run from them ...

______________________________________________

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Trapped, unable to move, the soldier could do little more that analyse the situation and begin to assess alternate strategies for victory.
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***
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"This is Lita Boyle reporting from the Warehouse district of Anderson City Downport. For the second time tonight, our city has been rocked by a massive explosion. About 20 minutes ago, the peace of this quiet port district was shattered by an explosion that destroyed a warehouse owned by Baron Trathage's family. Three employees of the Baron, all security personnel assigned to this building are missing and presumed dead. As you can see, the warehouse has collapsed and the fire has spread to the adjoining warehouse and is threatening other buildings in the area."
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***
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Of the original squad of six, two had been previously destroyed in action - the loss of Unit 2 a few moments ago reduced the number of active units to three. All were currently trapped by the debris created by the explosion, and while the thermal sensors indicated a fire in the immediate area, none of the units appeared to be severely damaged or threatened with immediate termination. Unit 3 had attempted to shift it's position, but the energy required had threatened to overload it's contragrav units and had desisted pending a change in the environment.
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***
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"While it is still early in the investigative phase of this explosion, officials speaking off the record state that this was no accident. One member of the bomb squad feels that a large quantity of explosive, probably TDX, was used to shear through the support structures of the building.
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Back to you, Bob"
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"Thank you Lita. In other news, as we reported to you earlier this evening, another explosion rocked our city, this one in the downtown area. We have
another reporter covering that story - what is the latest Frank?
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"It's nothing but bad news here Bob. In addition to the numerous reports of civilian deaths reported here, we have word in from the Marquis' Court that Marquis Thresson was indeed scheduled to meet with Barons Trathage, Fellis and Markham here this evening. While no casualties from the Sector Nobility have been confirmed, we have eyewitness reports that bodies wearing the house colors of all four nobles have been removed from the building.
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With the addition of Lord Alexander, whose tragic death was finally confirmed from the Marquis Court earlier today, that makes five members of the Sector Nobility to die in the past 96 hours. No matter how you look at it, this is probably not a good thing. Especially if you are a member of the Sector Nobility.
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This is Frank Kommins, reporting live from the Excalibur Hotel"
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***
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The soldier continued to contemplate the situation. Repeated requests for information, orders and/or extraction have gone unanswered. While it was not unusual for data and/or transportation requests to require some time for the KEEPER to respond to, renewal of orders was governed by the SCHEDULER, and the SCHEDULER was always on the guard frequency.
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Could KEEPER and SCHEDULER have fallen to the same foes that terminated Unit 2?
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Was it possible?
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***
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"This is Lita Boyle reporting live from the Warehouse district of Anderson City Downport. Firefighters and rescue personnel have brought in heavy lift equipment to start pulling away large sections of the collapsed warehouse.
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While the explosion that collapsed the building completely destroyed the office area of the warehouse, we have reports from a trucker who was apparantly at the building just prior to the explosion that at least two of the security guards assigned to this facility where seen at the far end of the building.
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With this news, family members have been converging on the scene in the hope that their loved ones may have survived in a pocket in the debris of the fallen warehouse. Crews with life detectors are converging on that end of the building."
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***
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The soldier could now feel vibrations in the material surrounding it's location, and was recieving reports from Units 3 and 6 that confirmed this.
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Review of the Rules of Engagement and the Mission Order left ... ambiguities in the response for the situation. However, an old entry in the Standard Operating Procedures indicated a provision for the soldier to use it's own initiative in cases when communication with the chain of command was disrupted.
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After a quick conference with the remaining units, it was agreed that the soldier would be assume command of the mission pending the reestablishment of communications with the command nodes.
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***
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"This is Lita Boyle reporting live from the Warehouse district of Anderson City Downport. Crews have succeeded in pulling the majority of the roof off of the collapsed warehouse, and have extinguished most of the fire in the threatened area. They have allowed us to move closer to document what they hope will be a rescue ..."
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***
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The acknowledgement of the other units in it's assumption of the command role had created some ... interesting possibilites. Since the acceptable response modes indicated by the Rules of Engagement were obviously inadequate, especially in light of the destruction of Unit 2, they would need to be changed. Normally, safeguards would prevent the soldier from being able to modify the Mission Orders - but, apparantly the commander of the mission had wider latitude. This would require addtional thought.
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***
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"Wait - can you see that? There appears to be some movement in the debris field! Yes! Definitely movement, someone is pushing their way up there! And there! Crews are rushing in to assist.
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OH MY GOD!! There's been another explosion in the warehouse. And another! The rescuers are ... Look - over there! Something is - quick, get the cam .... "
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***
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The soldier surveyed the battlefield and found no more targets available. A wider scan noted the convergence of additional units to this site, but the revised Mission Orders no longer required the team to hold the area against intruders. A silent order was passed and three silvery ovals took to the sky.
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***
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"Hmmm - we seem to have lost the feed from our remote team in the field. We will restore that to you as soon as we can.
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And now in sports ..."
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_______________________________________

I have to admit, they picked up the hint beautifully and immediately contacted the ship to run a sensor sweep of the warehouse area. Sure enough, but with difficulty, three small objects were found, on a straight line course for their current location.

A quick search of the RV found, in the back 'bedroom' of the RV, a 'pod' that contained space for six of these droids. Additionally, there were 'bodies' that the brains of these droids could be transferred into - including one that looked ... dangerous. Armored and with what was obviously a FGMP class weapon. (Oh, the players were really drooling over the resale value of this!)

They determined that there was some sort of beacon drawing the droids, but were not able to figure out how to turn it off. Additionally, the droids where continuing on at a good clip towards their location, and based on the news coverage, the droids did not seem to have a concept of the term 'collateral damage'. So, strictly in the interest of protecting the civilian population,the party decided to flee^H^H^H^Hmove.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, Nekko had loosed a full clip of ACR ammunition into the guts of the RV. Several of the components were 'bleeding', including - although they did not realize it at the time - the master computer for the RV. They managed to get as far as the edge of the settlement, about another 30 Km, before serious failure indications started flashing on the control panel, and they decided that going out beyond the reach of help would not be a good idea - so they put the RV down in a gaming area of a Park, and scattered into the underbrush to ambush the 'droids. They also called down the ship to have an escape route if things turned bad. (good decision on their part!)

*sigh* This is when I made my big mistake. The remainder of the Darrian unit had also been tracking the RV (I had pointed out several empty cots in the RV to the players, but they had ignored that), and had equiped them out of the safe-house they were basing out of. Two of them, both in combat armor and with grav belts, stealthed into the area and using sensor packs, came up from behind. I had all the advantages, but was hampered by one tiny little thing ... they were being paid to take Alexander alive. So I used Tranq ammunition.

Take my word for it - don't *ever* use tranq ammunition in a serious gun battle.

My Darrian was behind the Captain. I determined I had surprise. I was shooting from behind. I shot.

He saved.

He spun around.

I shot again. He saved.

He blew my puir Darrian's ass, chest and other parts of her anatomy all over the field using his ACR. In full auto.

Repeatedly (actually, until she was unconcious - but still breathing).

The other Darrian then executed the better part of valor and headed for the hills. The party started to chase them, but stopped when the droids entered the field.

In the end, the party used a lot of ammo. The droids headed straight for the RV, returning fire all the time. Two of the three droid survived to enter the RV and silence fell.

You may remember my mention of combat armor and FMPGs? The possibility of these droids putting on the equivalent of battle dress and coming out shooting made them very, very nervous. So they called up the ship (hovering just out of sight and ignoring an increasingly hostile StarPort Authority demand to return to the starport), and used the Laser Turrets to slag down the RV.

Then they tried to trace the Darrian, but to no avail. The did 'rescue' one the Captain had shot up - dead but possibly revivable. With the ship at hand, they rushed the body aboard, stripped off the armor and Alexander, as the ships doctor, put her into the low berth ... all the while lovingly describing what he was going to do to her, put her through, etc. as revenge.

Yes, the group was a bit worried about him.

Hostages