Adventure Overview
Players: Mr. Rhyze, Morton.
Enemies: Guido, Prisoners, and Jabba the Hut.
Started: As the ships returned from the asteroid base.
Ended: With the destruction of the Attack Yaht.
This adventure began as the Starfleet exploration team commenced the return voyage from the asteroid. Mr. Rhyze was flying the SG-3 in a very clunky manner. This bumpy ride did not go over well with those in the back of the transport ship. The communications officer could hear a great deal of bumping and shouting from the back section. It seemed that the comatose Big Boy was rolling about in the back, crushing all others who happened to be nearby. Newt, who was seated in the cockpit next to Mr. Rhyze, asked him if he was going to do something. Mr. Rhyze agreed with this notion, and started up a game of Free-cell on the ship's computer. Needless to say, Mr. Rhyze's skill at this game quickly impressed Newt. However, it didn't do much to make the flight smoother. As a result, both Max Planck and Faust were battered into unconsciousness for the whole adventure due to the rolling of Big Boy. Fayde and Morton flew in the former's Thunderer, safe from the scourge of Big Boy.
The journey passed without incident, and before long the two ships were within sight of the Space Station. Between losses at Free-cell, Mr. Rhyze's replacement welcomed the ships back to the station and invited them to land in the military bay. Fayde brought his ship in for a perfect landing, and Mr. Rhyze tried to do the same. However, all were sharply reminded that Thunderers are considerably more maneuverable than bulky SG3s. Fortunately, no one was overly injured as the transport plowed into the back wall of the bay. In fact, Newt was thrilled, and begged Mr. Rhyze to repeat this performance. On the other hand, Morton was less than pleased about the fact that he would spent the next few days fixing the damage caused by Mr. Rhyze's 'ride'. In moments, Falco was also on hand to provide mocking comments. At Fayde's request, Blank was called down to the Military Bay to process the prisoners. The chief of security grumbled about the huge overcrowding of the Brig, especially with the inclusion of Big Boy. Since these smugglers were violating Spheran laws, Blank hoped the Spheran authorities would send a ship to pick up the beaten criminals.
Leaving Blank to unload the passengers from the SG3 and take care of Newt, Mr. Rhyze and Morton went up to visit Sam. As always, the medical officer reproached them for not obtaining his help during their dangerous mission. Once their wounds had been healed, the two proceeded to the bridge. Commander Zaya was waiting for them, and asked for their report. Although she was disappointed that the asteroid had not been a base for the space pirates, she was intrigued by the Electran Empire stationary paper found within the smuggler's cave. On the other hand, Picard summarily dismissed this evidence. He maintained that these criminals had quite likely robbed some Electrans, thus explaining the paper. Having dismissed this discovery, Jean-Luc next dismissed Morton and Mr. Rhyze. After being instructed by Zaya to have written reports on her desk by the next morning, the two went off to their duties.
Work log: You really haven't been doing much of your usual work lately. Of course, a vacation down to a hostile asteroid is hardly the kind of break you'd like to repeat. In fact, you've been more than content to get back to the communications station.
Incoming Transmissions: Personal Notes: Mini-Objective:
-Pundits have begun to place predictions on the upcoming Bliztball Intergalactic Cup. As mentioned previously, most analysts interviewed by TBN support the Electran Currents. However, the renowned Don Cherry seems to show a preferance for the Lorac Monsoons. He claims their team is all about good, clean hits. As far as Don is concerned, that's enough to take the championship.
-The Spheran Space fleet recently contacted the station about your discoveries on the asteroid. Captain Ataris spent about an hour speaking to Zaya on a private communications channel.
-Some french guy recently contacted Epsilon and claimed he was being transferred here. Of course, he also claimed to be Belgian, and you've never even heard of such a place. Apparently, the purpose of his call was to find out if the station had a large stock of Filet Mignon. Since that didn't sound Irish, you told him that such a stock likely didn't exist.
-Your replacement's new chair constantly annoys you. He takes it with him wherever he goes, and won't even let you sit in it. Of course, it can't be as good as your own chair, but you'd like to try that vibrating function.
-There's nothing like trekking through an underground complex to get the body back in shape. Aside from Blitzball, that is. Any weight you gained due to Kenny Rogers' chicken is surely gone.
-You acquired several valuable items on the asteroid, including the General's rifle. Of course, you have no use for such guns, but you're sure someone will be willing to pay a high price for it.
-Sell your RD-51 rifle to the highest bidder.
Work Log: Since arriving back from the asteroid, your work time has been split between two tasks. Firstly, you've spent a fair amount of time customizing your Falcon, by installing your gun-rack and old fashioned gear shift (it doesn't do anything yet, but you're still working on it.) The remainder of your time has been spent visiting your own webpage and bragging about it to anyone who will listen.
Military Supplies:
-23 'slightly-used' Falcon missiles purchased from Crazy Sam.
-8 Heatwave missiles purchased from the GAP.
-3 Space-suits complete with oxygen tanks providing fourty minutes of breathable air. Two of these space suits have been painted red, courtesy of the station's new engineer.
Docked Flights:
-The Gambit, a Spheran trading ship, is currently docked in space bay two. Its captain claims to be carrying cargo destined for Electra, but you really don't trust the fellow. His name is Guido, and he seems to act very suspicious.
Personal Notes:
-Even Falco is somewhat impressed by your new webpage. It's much better than the original one Mr. Rhyze created, although Diego still claims he could do better by inserting a section on the history of computers. Unfortunately, your hosting service, Spherus On-Line (SOL), seems to occaisonally cut off access to your site for no reason at all. And your page is filled with annoying pop-up adds. SOL claims to have a 24 hour helpline, although you have yet to try it.
-The new additions to your Falcon certainly add style. Of course, now that you have a gun rack in your ship, you feel the urge to fill it. The firearms you already possess make a considerable display, but you'd really like to add that rifle Mr. Rhyze found on the asteroid into the display. In fact, you'd be willing to go to almost any lengths to obtain this gun.
Mini-Objective:
-Obtain the RD-51 rifle from Mr. Rhyze through any means necessary.
As all roleplaying cliches dictate, the action resumed in Bennigan's. Mr. Rhyze and Morton arrvied to find only a few chairs available. Like usual, they ended up seated next to Jamal and Falco. Newt was also seated at the table, amazed by Jamal's endless supply of donuts. Morton demonstrated several methods of obtaining donuts from Jamal, most of which involved reaching into the rapper's pocket when he wasn't looking. Needless to say, Jamal was not pleased with this lesson, and protested that he was running low on donuts. Falco put in some praise for Morton's new website, adding it was almost as good as his own. As they spoke, Morton and Mr. Rhyze happened to notice a very suspicious stranger watching them from a corner table. This person sat alone, surrounded by a wall of suspicion that was almost palpable.
Guido Attention was diverted from Guido as Lucky arrived to take their orders. Morton had his usual guiness, and Mr. Rhyze had an Irish burger, but not before inquiring if the station had any filet mignon. Lucky didn't seem to
know of any such food, since it didn't really sound Irish. Newt was delighted to meet the owner of Bennigan's, obviously assuming him to be a leprachaun. She wasted no time in asking the others if Lucky had a pot of gold. With such thoughts in her mind, she went searching for the little man, causing a chase scene to ensue. In the meantime, Mr. Rhyze and Morton both decided to go speak with Guido. Mr. Rhyze wanted to sell the rifle to Guido, but Morton continually insisted that the gun was faulty. Guido was interested, but asked to see the gun first. While Mr. Rhyze went off to fetch the rifle, Guido noted the ease with which Morton chugged down his guiness. The trader challenged Morton to a solo drinking competition. Morton was only too happy to agree. However, the first class of Guiness caused Morton to topple over backwards. Guido was ready to declare his own victory, but Falco rushed over and
propped Morton back on his seat. The pilot was not about to let some foreign trader outdrink the pride of Starfleet.
Soon, the two were taking turns downing beverages which ranged from water to Irish Whiskey. Morton's iron stomach served him well, but he soon noticed that Guido's mouth wasn't well-designed for drinking, and he would often spill half his drink over his chest in trying to drink it. Morton quickly commanded Lucky to bring a straw for his opponent. Guido indignantly accepted the straw, complaining that Morton was cheating. In fact, he caught Morton in the act moments later, as the pilot poured one of his drinks over his shoulder. Guido demanded he drink double the original amount. Morton dumped one drink over each shoulder, but this time Guido didn't notice. However, as Guido selected the next drink, Morton noticed that the green-skinned fellow was drinking out of a tiny shot-glass, whereas his own servings were measured in giant mugs. When Morton pointed this out, Guido reluctantly switched to a larger glass.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rhyze had retrieved the rifle from his room. On his way back to the pub, he stopped off at Doug's to see what kind of price he could get for the firearm. Although Doug was willing to sell him a rifle for 900 marks, he was unwilling to pay more than 20 marks for Mr. Rhyze's rifle. Disappointed, but hardly surprised by the fact that Doug was trying to rip him off, Mr. Rhyze went back to Bennigan's. The drinking contest was still in progress, and Mr. Rhyze sat down to watch as the two competitors gulped down some more potent drinks. However, the communications officer noticed that Guido's glass was already half full with some clear liquid before the latter poured his share of Irish Whiskey. Morton was a bit too hazy to notice, so Mr. Rhyze sensed an opportunity. Mr. Rhyze leaned over to Guido and asked how much his silence would be worth. The green-faced man was outraged by such an accusation, and claimed instead that Morton was also cheating. With a sigh, Mr. Rhyze related what he had seen to Morton. Enraged, the one-eyed pilot flipped over the table, narrowly avoiding causing injury. A bit intimidated to this show of force, Guido offered to call it a draw, to which Morton agreed. At that, the trader left Bennigan's without making an offer for Mr. Rhyze's rifle.
Race: Terrorian
Occupation: Captain of a Spheran Trading Vessel
Most who have seen the original Star Wars probably don't remember Guido. He wasn't a very memorable character, and rightly so. His skin is green, and he has bulbous black eyes. Guido wears an orange flight uniform with a gun-belt around his waist. Although he claimed to be the captain of a Spheran merchant vessel on its way to Electra, no one could really bring themselves to believe him. That is likely due to the incredible aura of suspicion which hung over Guido at all times. In combat, he was more than willing to use his PK-97. However, he also had an incredible fast-draw move, with which he could whip his gun out and fire a shot in record time. Of course, this shot decreased his accuracy so much that he could hardly hit any target at all, let alone someone sitting across the table from him.
Falco and Jamal also refused to bid on the rifle, the former because he needed no gun while in a space fighter, and the latter because he had no money to speak of. On the other hand, Morton was certainly willing to do so. In a slurred voice, Morton offered 30 marks for the weapon. Mr. Rhyze wasn't eager to accept what he deemed a ridiculously low offer, and went off looking for other potential buyers. Despite his drunken state, Morton decided to go help Falco fix the SG-3. Of course, he really wasn't able to be of much help, and ended up mostly just banging his wrench on the side of the ship. In a small amount of time, Falco suggested Morton instead simply hand him the tools he asked for. As they were working, the two got to talking about the internet age. In specific, Falco mentioned that Morton's webpage kept causing errors and crashing the computer he was using. Morton could only explain it as an inevitable consequence of signing up to Spherus On-Line.
Mr. Rhyze wasn't having much luck in advertising his rifle. Few seemed interested in the weapon, and those that were simply did not have the cash to offer the kind of money the communications officer was looking for. Slightly discouraged, Mr. Rhyze was walking through the main floor when he happened to notice that the door to the hydrosphere was hanging open. Glancing inside, he immiediately noticed Guido, studying the controls. The trader was intrigued by the hydrosphere, and confessed that he knew little about blitzball. Mr. Rhyze explained the rules in his typical way, by explaining that people would pass the ball to him and he would score. Guido was fascinated, and said that Mr. Rhyze's repuatation as a blitzball player was well-known all over the station. Pleased with such words, Mr. Rhyze agreed to Guido's request for a demonstration. With instructions for the trader to wait in the sphere, Mr. Rhyze rushed off to get both his Blitzball uniform and Keepa.
The first of those two tasks proved easy, and the second not much harder. Keepa was more than ready for a little practice. Soon, the two had filled the Hydrosphere, and were ready to give Guido a demonstration. Keeping an eye on his suspicious audience, Mr. Rhyze performed a perfect shot which blazed past Keepa's defenses. Amazed, as always, Keepa tossed the ball back to Mr. Rhyze. The communications officer received the ball with a perfect twisting catch. He was about to go for another shot, when he noticed that Guido was no longer watching through the glass wall. Worried, the communications officer quickly drained the sphere. As Keepa gawked, Mr. Rhyze literally flew from the room, worried about his possessions. It took him only moments to arrive at his room, but he was already too late. The door hung partly open. After a quick search, Mr. Rhyze determined that the only things missing were his communicators. Forced to use an intercom on the wall, he called Blank to the area. The chief of security arrived moments later, leading a band of injured Red-Shirts. Keepa was not far behind them.
Mr. Rhyze explained what had happened, and added his own suspicion that Guido was responsible. Blank agreed to look into the matter immiediately. It was fortunate, Blank added, that the Spheran authorities had already removed the Freedom Fighters from the brig. The jail was still crowded, but could now fit another person. And it would need to, if Mr. Rhyze's suspicions proved true. In no time, Red-Shirts were combing the area, looking for either Guido or other clues. Mr. Rhyze decided to do some searching of his own, and went down to the military bay. He easily enlisted Morton and Falco to his cause, mainly because Morton was still hoping to obtain the rifle. The three went over to the space bay to check out Guido's ship, The Gambit. However, one of the crewmembers told them that Guido was not aboard. Deciding not to press the issue for now, the three left the bay. Supper time was approaching, and though Morton was not thirsty, he was decidedly hungry. After a few more futile searches, including a dangerous visit to Shaimus (if something goes wrong, one almost has to assume that Shaimus might have been involved), Mr. Rhyze joined the other protagonist in Bennigan's.
There was something strange at Bennigan's, and Morton noticed it as soon as he arrived. The usual crowd had also noticed. All the normal chairs in the Irish pub had been replaced by bright red chairs. All, that is, save for the chair on which Jamal still sat. Wary of this change, no one else was seated. More than a little curious, Morton decided to ask Lucky what was going on. Poking his head into the kitchen, he found the proprietor boiling a pot of potatos. Apparently, some big, scary fellows had come into the kitchen and begun baking large numbers of pies. Needless to say, Lucky and his whole staff had hidden from these intruders, and thus knew not who they were nor what they had done with the normal chairs. Puzzled, Morton returned to the main room, where most have overcome their suspicions and seated themselves at tables. Morton cunningly declined to do so, which turned out to be a wise move. Moments after later, the chairs began to break, collapsing under their occupants' weight. Most of those who had been seated ended up flat on the floor, able only to watch as a new stream of people ran into the pub.
These dozen newcomers were laughing. They wore no shirts. And they were painted red. It was the Engineers. Worse yet, they were all hefting cream pies. At a french-accented command from their leader, the engineers launched their pies at the crowd. Jamal was hit with several of these pies, although he didn't seem to mind too much, adding that they were quite tasty. Morton was also struck by a pie, and was not so thrilled with the experience. Easily lifting one of the engineers, the pilot swung him around and tossed him into his a group of his friends. So effective was this move that only one engineer remained standing. This one hesitated only a moment before throwing his pie at Morton. In an incredibly dextrous maneuver, Morton reversed the pie in mid-flight and sent it crashing into its original master. By this point, Mr. Rhyze had arrived in the pub, and Blank was quick to follow. A big commotion ensued as the Red-Shirts attempted to quell the engineers. With the help of Morton and Blank, this task turned out not to be overly difficult. However, worse tidings were yet to come.
A brief message on the intercom instructed all officers to report to the bridge immiediately, and set the station on yellow alert. Leaving Jamal to handle the wild engineers, Blank led Morton and Mr. Rhyze to the bridge. A sizeable group had already gathered there, including Vance, Falco, Sam, Fayde and Shaimus. Picard and Zaya waited until all had arrived before beginning their briefing. An unidentified ship was approaching the station. It had just entered scanner range, but was not responding to any hails. Morton asked what kind of ship they were taking about. Vance spent only a moment looking over the scanner data before declaring that it was an Attack Yaht, considered a small capital ship, although still heavily armed and armored. At its current rate of speed, it would be within range of Epsilon's Main Gun in a matter of minutes. At this point, Mr. Rhyze received a transmission from the approaching ship. At Zaya's command, it was broadcast to the screen. The first thing that appeared was the giant face of Jabba the Hut, who laughed in his very deep voice.
A greasy man in a white suit quickly stepped into the picture to translate the great Jabba's words. Apparently, that laugh signified that Jabba the Hut was tired of Starfleet interfering in his affairs. Jabba declared that the confiscation of his zirlithium had sealed their doom. Only by surrendering, could they survive, Solo. That last part often seemed to figure into the translation of Jabba's speech. Zaya refused to surrender, and instead ordered Jabba to turn himself in or face certain defeat at the hands of the station's space force. Mr. Rhyze also asked how Jabba had managed to escape from the Spheran prison. After some mutterings about some prison metal shop, Jabba informed them they would all soon be bantha fodder. The transmission concluded with his ominous laughter. Zaya wasted no time in ordering the pilots to their ships. Despite general misgivings, it would fall to Shaimus to operate the Main Gun. The chief engineer seemed pleased this duty, and cracked his knuckles in a very ominous fashion. However, before the team could mobilise, another red alarm went off within the station.
Blank recognised this signal, and informed them that the brig must have been breached. This was no sooner said than a wounded Red-Shirt rushed onto the bridge. He breathlessly informed his superiors that there was a jailbreak. All the prisoners in the brig had escaped, and were on a rampage on the main level. Furthermore, Fayde noted that the turbolift was no longer operational. It took only moments for Vance to discover that the turbolift was locked on the main level. Only someone with knowledge of the station's systems would be able to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, these escaped prisoners had to be stopped before they could cut off the station's main power generator. With that in mind, Zaya decided that a team would descend to the main level via the engineering tunnels. Once these fugitives had been defeated, the pilots could proceed to their ships. Leaving Jean-Luc Picard in charge of the bridge, Zaya gathered those who would accompany her down into the hatch. Vance would also remain behind to work the computers, and Shaimus would delay Jabba's Attack Yaht with the main gun. This left Zaya herself, Morton, Mr. Rhyze, Blank, Sam, Falco and Fayde to deal with all the angry prisoners.
A tactical battle ensued, during which the heroes split up throughout the main floor, hunting the escaped prisoners. Blank urged caution. It could be no coincidence that this jailbreak had occured just as after Jabba's arrival. Even those not associated with the Hut would likely be angry at their captors, and should be considered dangerous. This turned out to be the case. Fayde was set upon outside the briefing room by Dennis Rodman, the Litterer, who was intent on 'messing up' the Electran warrior. However, he was forced to withdraw when Fayde was backed up by both Blank and Sam. Meanwhile, Morton brought down the first enemy. While exploring the Hydrosphere, the pilot encountered the pale figure of E.T., still mumbling about 'calling home'. A single shot from Morton's PK-97 dropped the technician, but earned Morton a stinging response from a pair of D-6 miniguns. These weapons were in the hands of Instant, a Coffee Baron Mr. Rhyze had defeated some time ago. It seemed a rematch was inevitable, as Mr. Rhyze flew in to aid his comrade. However, the crafty Coffee Baron managed to escape without taking a hit.
Meanwhile, Commander Zaya was firing blind lazer blasts down the hallway outside of Bennigan's. At least one of these shots hit a target, causing a yelp of pain from down the corridor. When Falco rushed forward to investigate, he discovered both Guido and Corporal Rikker waiting at an intersection in the hallway. Guido let fire with his PK-97, and Falco returned the favor with some unarmed art. As Rikker took a lazer shot to the chest, Instant joined the battle, firing with both guns. However, Morton and Mr. Rhyze were both on his trail, and the Coffee Baron went down under heavy fire. Rikker was next to drop, after giving Mr. Rhyze a flaming hookpunch. Outnumbered, Guido fired several very fast shots at Falco (which missed) and withdrew. He was not the only villain on the retreat. Fayde and Sam had chased Dennis Rodman into the flight simulator only to find Kenny Rogers waiting for them. Rogers let loose several choice tunes, and combined with Rodman's slam-dunk, Sam was taken down. However, Fayde invoked his special Fade-out move, which left only his outline visible, and took down both criminals with the help of Blank.
It seemed that the battle was all but won. However, as Morton walked alone through a corridor, he was set upon by an old enemy. It was a short man, dressed in a blue captain's uniform, and wielding a long-blade. With glee, Captain Crunch invoked his special 'Crunch-Time!' move and attacked. Astonishingly, the villain from the first adventure defeated Morton after several stunning sword blows, settling old scores. However, Mr. Rhyze arrived moments later to bring down the wounded Captaion Crunch. This left only Guido, and he was hopelessly surrounded. After some less than accurate shots, the green-skinned villain was defeated. In his pockets, they found Mr. Rhyze's communicators. The battle won, Zaya ordered the pilots to hurry to their ships. The biggest enemy had yet to be dealt with.
Not long later, the Epsilon ships launched from the Military Bay. Morton, Falco and Sam were all in their Falcons. Fayde flew the Thunderer, while Mr. Rhyze controlled its weapons. Jabba's Attack Yaht was almost within range of the station, and launched both a wave of Falcon fighters and an Attack Transport. Greatly preferring dogfights, Falco volunteered himself and Sam to deal with the enemy Falcons. Fayde declared that Thunderers were designed to destroy capital ships, and locked his missiles on the Attack Yaht. This left Morton to deal with the Assault Transport, with 'help' from Shaimus. In fact, the Main Gun proved invaluable in quickly destroying the Assault Transport. Morton congratulated Shaimus on his aim, at which point the chief engineer grumbled that he had actually missed his main target. In truth, all of Shaimus' shots had come perilously close to striking Morton's Falcon. Relieved to be out of Shaimus' line of fire, Morton assisted Fayde and Mr. Rhyze as they blasted the Attack Yaht with missiles. However, half of Morton's missiles seemed to go berserk and wouldn't strike the target. Falco and Sam were experiencing a similar thing, although they were still besting the enemy pilots.
However, the Attack Yaht soon retaliated. Its large gun blasted the Thunderer, destroying its shields and a fair amount of its hull. Fayde quickly pulled back out of gun range, firing missiles all the while. Meanwhile, a single Heatwave was launched from the Yaht. It sent a message to Morton, confirming his fears. It was Mallistayre the Red, intent on taking down Morton in single ship combat. Soon, the two were locked in a deadly space duel, both pilots exercising all their flight skills. Meanwhile, with their last missiles, Fayde and Mr. Rhyze disabled the Attack Yaht's engine control. In a few mere minutes, the large ship would crash directly into Space Station Epsilon. Jabba seemed to find this very funny. Desperately, Fayde brought the Thunderer into lazer range. The Yaht's cannons fired as they approached, almost blowing the Thunderer from the sky. However, Mr. Rhyze had time for one good shot which blew up the Attack Yaht in a massive explosion. When it cleared, nothing but wreckage and very damaged Thunderer remained. Morton was too busy dealing with Mallistayre to notice this event. However, a skillful power shot allowed him to land a crippling shot on Mallistayre's Heatwave, taking out its engine control. Vowing revenge, Mallistayre ship spun off into space, far too fast to be pursued. Morton's damaged ship spun back towards the station, but he was unable to reach the bay before facing a deadly hit and run from Gangster 1. This Falcon shot took out Morton's weapon systems, and so Gangster 1 escaped without taking a shot. Still, the battle was won, and the fleet returned to Epsilon victorious. Of course, this victory would cost Morton and Falco many hours fixing the damaged ships.
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