Adventure Overview
Players: Mr. Rhyze, Morton, Taylor.
Enemies: Poor fashion sense, rival pilots and more.
Started: With the arrest of Moriarty.
Ended: As Guido was locked in a closet.
In accordance with Deep Space tradition, this adventure began with a chart. The stakes were higher than they'd ever been before; in the words of one PC, the chart now actually mattered.
As this adventure will prove, speed can be very important. There are many who feel the need for speed. But how many of them are actually fast enough? Situations exist where speed can mean the difference between life and death. It's time for you to make biased guesses about who is quick, and who is not. Please rate the following characters in descending order of speed, with 1 being the fastest and 15 being the slowest. Results from this chart are based primarily on a character's combat skills (both Psi and Art give big bonuses to mobility). In the case where the combat skills are tied, speed is determined by strength. If your mind is quick enough to churn out the closest guesses, you will be the lucky recipient of 1000XP.
This adventure began moments after the conclusion of the last one. Moriarty, the master criminal, had been captured by the combined cunning of Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings and Sherlock Holmes, though there might have been dispute about who actually provided most of this cunning. Blank and his security staff were on the scene in minutes, and with only a few minor injuries, the Red-Shirts took both Moriarty and Laura Secord up to the brig. While security processed these new prisoners, Mr. Rhyze and Morton decided to make a trip up to Sam. As always, the medical officer chided them for not calling upon his help when faced with such dangerous combat. During this medical treatment, several ships departed from the station, including The Milk Chocolate and the Starstreak which had brought Hercule Poirot. Both had reason enough to leave quickly. Miss. Hershey had noted how much chocolate had been devoured during the relatively short visit of the Epsilon officers, and was eager to be away from the station before her ship's supply was further depleted. As for Poirot, he had gotten the chocolates that had brought him to the station, and solved an insidious mystery in the process. Now, he was ready to go look for some real filet mignon, not just the Irish substitute served by Lucky.
It was a surprise to everyone that an important event took place that evening. Morton Ragnarson was in his room, preparing to sleep after a hard, and sometimes painful day. These preparations were interupted by a knock on his door. The pilot demanded to know who was calling on him at such a late hour, but the answer he received provided more questions than actual answers. It was Vandred, and he wanted to speak with Morton for a few minutes. Cautiously, Morton opened the door. Vandred wasted no time in asking the pilot if he'd heard of a man named Virgil. Morton could only respond in a negative, and was curious to find out if he was supposed to know this fellow. Smiling slightly, Vandred replied that Virgil had connections with him, whether he knew it or not. To demonstrate this point, Vandred brought up the incident at Starbase station (from adventure 7), where Morton had been captured by the Fenixa Infernos. He had been rescued by Sir Jecht, the legendary Blitzball player. Jecht had apparently been tipped off about the team's location and plight by a man matching Virgil's description. At this point, Morton took a leap and asked if this description included a black trenchcoat. Vandred replied in the affirmative, and noted that Virgil had saved them from considerable peril. He was now interested in finding out why. Seeing that Morton could provide no more information, Vandred left with a warning. Virgil was apparently very evil, and very dangerous. And he apparently had some interest in this station. Vandred could only advise caution.
Work log: Most communications these days are about the upcoming Kessel Run. You're not interested in spaceships at all, despite the fact you're often forced to fly one. As such, racing ships holds no attraction for you. On the bright side, every person who goes to this event is one that can't be giving you work to do. As far as you're concerned, this should practically be considered a holiday.
Incoming Transmissions:
-While searching for Blitzball news, you happened to flip through some channels discussing the Kessel Run. This year's event is being held at a small, specially built station bordering the asteroid belt and the dark sun Dagos. Winning the Kessel Run is likely the most prestigious achievement for a pilot, and the cash prize is considerable. In addition, since the event is held in space and thus a grey legal zone, gambling on this event is highly encouraged. You did enjoy being a player on Gangsta's Paradise, but you'd still much rather play Free-cell. Most pundits seem to think that Yoshi, a Chalchakian pilot known for his lack of vocabulary and incredible acceleration, is going to win the event. You doubt that Johnny agrees with this assessment.
Personal Notes:
-Your Red-Shirt video is already a classic, and it hasn't even been edited yet.
-Jet's goaltending skills have surely improved since the time you played him in Yankees' Stadium. He was still no match for your shooting power, but you have to admit that he could surely teach Keepa a thing or two. It might not be a bad idea to convince Keepa to mark Jet so that he could learn the Hundred-Hand Stop. This would seriously improve The Replacements' playing ability.
-You've got to convince as many people as possible to attend the Kessel Run. You've noticed that you tend to get into a lot more combat situations with people like Morton around. Surely sending those people off to this race will reduce the work for you. It will also improve your standings with your commanding officers, since you'll be one of the few people 'dedicated enough' to remain at your duties.
-You've heard that Vandred has been having private talks with such people as Morton Ragnarsson. However, he hasn't yet come to speak with you. This is clearly preposterous. He should know that someone ranked 'Mr.' would be far more important than a mere pilot! If he won't come to you, you'll have to go to him. You're not quite sure what he was talking to Morton about, but you intend to find out.
Mini-Objective:
-Convince as many people as possible to go to the Kessel Run.
-Talk to Vandred.
Work Log: The Vesper has never been in better condition, and never at a better time. The Kessel Run is coming up, and thanks to your ingenuity, you will be heading over to the 'Kessel Quadrant' to pick up some missiles. This task will clearly be secondary to winning the big race and proving yourself the Maverick of the galaxy. As such, all your recent work continues to involve tuning and oiling your ship. It always seems to need MORE oil. Consequently, the APC still remains to be repaired.
Space Fleet Status:
-1 tuned-up Falcon Fighter belonging to Falco Lombardo.
-1 Silver Dust transport, minus its refrigerator.
-1 Falcon-X known as the Vesper, ready to race.
-1 Thunderer, belonging to Fayde.
-An APC known as The Buick, still in great need of repair.
-A custom Falcon belonging to Johnny, in perfect condition.
Military Supplies:
-11 '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. One of these was ripped apart by the Death Grobus.
Docked Flights:
-The Broker's Blue Chip is in Space Bay One. It appears that The Broker's claims that no one could catch him were quite incorrect. In the process of getting caught, The Broker pushed his scooter too far and broke it. As far as you know, he's still trying to fix it.
Personal Notes:
-Despite his attempts to fill Commander Zaya with Guiness, Falco hasn't yet received permission to attend the Kessel Run. Zaya seems to believe that Sam and Mr. Rhyze aren't sufficient to protect the station from the Star Wolf squad. While Falco would normally agree, he's had no choice but to talk up Mr. Rhyze's skills in the hopes of convincing her otherwise. It's not going well.
-You've acquired a real taste for chocolate. It's too bad that The Milk Chocolate left the station so quickly. You would've greatly appreciated the chance to loot that ship. All the chocolate decorations would have made great additions to the military bay lounge.
-The Iceman is also getting pumped for the Kessel Run. He claims his custom Falcon has all the style it needs to win the race, and has repeatedly mocked your combination of bumper stickers and oil. Of course, you know that style is the least important factor of any race. And you intend to prove it.
Mini-Objective:
-Win big at the Kessel Run.
Work Log: The last few weeks have kept you extremely busy. You've spent them locked in your room, totally devoted to sewing up the Red Shirts that just keep piling up. Sometimes you heard strange noises coming from the rest of the station, but you were too busy to pay them any mind. The only contact you had with the outside world was when Red-Shirts would bring more of their shirts, or some food. Just when you thought your work would never end, the number of red shirts brought to you with bullet holes in them dwindled to almost nothing. It looks like you'll finally be able to take a break and leave your room.
Pins and Needles:
(This is a list of all the work you've done since your arrival on the Station.)
-You must have fixed hundreds of red shirts. Most had bullet holes in them, and thus didn't take too long. But the sheer numbers really kept you busy. Judging from the amount of ripped clothing, you can only assume the station has lost several dozen Red-Shirts since you arrived here.
-You've also been modifying lots of clothes to make them assymetrical. This has included Jamal's orange tuque and Keepa's Blitzball uniform.
-You also fixed up a spacesuit. You still aren't sure if this task was technically part of your duties, but no one else seemed able to do it. Apparently, it was torn up by some sort of Death-Grobus. That didn't take too long to fix, but making it assymetrical without comprimising its purpose was a bit difficult.
Fashion Report:
(You may have been in your room for weeks, but that doesn't mean you haven't kept up with the latest fashion news.)
-Of course, assymetry is still in. But there's another big trend that's emerged from someplace called France. All fashion supposedly originates in France, though you have no idea where that is. Anyway, the latest trend is Tintin style. You're a bit surprised that Tintin hair and clothing is now popular, but it just goes to show you can never predict the way the world of fashion will go.
Personal Notes:
-You've jumped on the most recent fashion bandwagon, and have produced a whole line of Tintin clothing. This includes brown pants and a blue sweater. Hopefully, you should be able to make a good profit from selling these items. Of course, marketing them locally will only get you so far. After all, the station population is only around 50, and one of them is Tintin, who won't likely need his own clothes. In addition, people are willing to pay higher prices for clothing that comes from somewhere else and seems exotic. As such, you clearly need to travel somewhere with a larger market.
-You're a bit out of touch with station events, having been in your room for several weeks. But it doesn't seem like you've missed much.
Mini-Objective:
-Make as much money as you can by selling yoour Tintin merchandise.
The action resumed in Bennigan's, with only minor changes to the usual clientele. This included Taylor, who had finally emerged from a four to six week stint in his room. He joined Mr. Rhyze, Morton, Jamal and Falco at the usual table. At the moment, Falco was busy complaining about the fact that he wouldn't be going to the Kessel Run. Even his Guiness strategy had failed to convince Commander Zaya. Mr. Rhyze was sympathetic to the situation, and offered to help convince the Commander - for the right price. This proved to be quite low, and was even more affordable when Morton offered to pitch in for half. Satisfied with this payment, Mr. Rhyze went off to the bridge to have a word with his commanding officers. Meanwhile, Jamal was commenting on the fine work Taylor had done with his tuque. This 'fine work' seemed to have involved tearing some holes in the orange tuque, in an effort to make it asymmetrical. It certainly fit into this catergory, which seemed to satisfy both Taylor and Jamal immensely. However, the tailor was quick to inform the security officer that the new thing was all Tintin. He described it as a look born in France, with material imported all the way from Egypt! Needless to say, everyone was impressed with this exotic clothing. Unfortunately, Jamal had to confess that he had no money, and had even had to trade his Magic 8-Ball for the George Foreman Low-Fat Grill. Slightly disappointed, Taylor decided to look for more customers. But he didn't feel comfortable roaming this station alone, given the number of injuries that he witnessed to Red-Shirt clothing. As such, he decided to accompany Morton down to the military bay lounge.
By this time, Mr. Rhyze had reached the bridge. Both Commander Zaya and Jean-Luc Picard were there, but neither seemed willing to let Falco go to the Kessel Run. Mr. Rhyze used all the influence at his disposal, and attempted to convince them that Shaimus could provide more than adequate protection in the case of an enemy attack. This argument didn't prove overly persuasive, as Zaya noted that the loyalty of Shaimus remained an open question. Mr. Rhyze's endorsement of Shaimus' operation of the Main Gun during the last attack was somewhat countered by the find that the engineer often could not be found to operate the gun at all. In the end, Mr. Rhyze was forced to concede that Falco would not be accompanying the away-team. He decided to announce this moments later over the intercom, though doing so required him to dismiss his replacement. The communications officer had no qualms about doing this, though he was annoyed to find that he was too late to stop his replacement from breaking his Free-cell streak.
The announcement was made about the same time as Taylor and Morton arrived in the military bay. Morton had some last minute preparations to get the ships ready. He wasn't the only one doing some last-minute tune-ups. Johnny was also working on his Custom Falcon, and slid over to meet Taylor. Upon hearing about the latter's profession, Johnny stated how The Man was a real force in the fashion world. If such was indeed the case, Taylor could only speculate that the nature of this force could not be good. He believed that Johnny's clothes were far too purple, and really much too Johnny. That look was apparently all last year. Taylor felt that The Man's wardrobe needed the latest colors: blue and brown. Johnny was intrigued, and demanded to know what the tailor had in mind. The latest fashion, according to Taylor, was a blue sweater and brown pants. With sleeves of different lengths, of course. Assymetry was always in style. When told that this fashion came from France, Johnny was very impressed. He didn't know where this France was, but he knew it was The Place for fashion much like he was The Man for piloting. It didn't take any more convincing for Johnny to purchase a pair of Taylor's Tintin clothes. After all, Johnny noted that there was no point winning the Kessel Run if you didn't look good while doing it. According to Taylor, Morton was ignoring this advice as he attempted to paint a goose on the side of Falco's ship. Once again, the pilot's artistic skills failed him, and he ended up creating a blotch of silver paint and the word 'Roose'. But at least it was assymetrical.
Although Mr. Rhyze had given up on getting Falco to the Kessel Run, he knew other people that might be interested in attending, if properly convinced. This included Tintin, whom the communications officer tracked down moments later. The journalist already suspected some sort of drug deal would take place, but noted that a big race was the perfect cover for smuggling. It only took a few encouraging words from Mr. Rhyze to send Tintin dashing down to the military bay, demanding to go along. By this point, Johnny had already been fitted in his new asymmetrical Tintin garb, and his appearance caused Tintin to aim a knockout punch at his jaw. Apparently, the journalist was accustomed to people impersonating him, and then doing various bad deeds to ruin his reputation. It took Taylor several minutes to convince Tintin that this was not the case here. Johnny was willing to bring Tintin along, but felt that Taylor should also accompany the group, since he might be needed for more personal fittings. Seeing a chance to bring his clothing to a wider market, Taylor quickly agreed. Of course, he would need permission from Commander Zaya to leave the station. Mr. Rhyze had previously offered to obtain permission for the right price, but Johnny was willing to do it for free. According to him, Commander Zaya was more than happy to permit anything that The Man desired. Once he had gone to the bridge, Morton was free to speculate that Zaya would be more likely to agree with anything that might get Johnny off the station, even for only a short time.
The Kessel Run was slated to start in only a few hours. As such, Morton decided that it was time for the group to depart soon after Johnny returned to the bay with permission for Taylor to accompany him. The ride was crowded, with Taylor occupying the second seat in Johnny's Custom Falcon and Tintin crammed into the pilot's seat of the Falcon-X with Morton. The journalist was pleased to note that Morton seemed to be a much better pilot than his old friend, Captain Haddock, who was more prone to drinking than to actually flying. This comment reminded Morton to take a long swig from his keg of Guiness. Despite this drinking, Morton's flying was still much straighter than Johnny's, who seemed unable to resist the urge to do random flips, rolls and other stunts. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with his passenger. After several hours of such space flight, Taylor was very much feeling sick. Thus, it was with some relief that he noticed the approach of another ship. It was a Falcon, and Morton was ready to fire on it at the slightest provocation. Some might have considered the unidentified ship's greeting message to be sufficient provocation, but Morton did not. Johnny, however, seemed most displease to recognise the pilots of this speedy red Faclon.
The Dukes of Hazard Johnny was not pleased by the presence of the Duke Boys. They had apparently been at last year's Kessel Run, and had almost destroyed the station on which it was built with their wild chase sequences. This animosity didn't seem shared by the Dukes of Hazard, who greeted Johnny and Morton with some near incomprehensible western slang and declared that they would win this thing. Neither Johnny nor Morton agreed this statement, and noted that it could only be settled with a race to the Grand Prix station. The Good Duke Boy began the race, but not in an overly impressive fashion. Morton was able to stay slightly ahead of the General Lee, but the most impressive performance was definitely put in by Johnny, who seemed to be at the top of his game. He easily passed the other two ships, despite his penchant for stunts. In fact, he was able to fly circles around Morton before zooming off to their destination. Though the Duke Boys were last to arrive at the Grand Prix station, the two loser in the race was Taylor, who had not enjoyed Johnny's decidedly curvy flying.
The Grand Prix was not a large space station. It had been built specifically for the race, and mostly consisted of many docking bays that were now bustling with ships. The station was also surrounded by glowing signs and beacons. The former were mostly related to thanking sponsors such as Coca-Cola, whereas the latter were clearly designated to marking out some of the courses. Johnny was just docking in one of the bays as Morton arrived on the scene. Once the two ships had safely landed, the Epsilon team spilled out into the bay, some very glad to be in a somewhat stable environment. The room was filled with other pilots who had come for the big race. They were all being processed by black-garbed officials, who were collecting small fees as they signed up the pilots. Tintin wasted no time in dashing off to search for conspiracies. Morton and Johnny waited in line and eventually paid the small entry fee. They were told that they would first be summoned for a time trial, which would determine whether they were worthy of being a part of the main event and appearing on Intergalactic television. As the three made their way towards the bay exit, they met up with a familiar figure. It was Mean Gene, and he was busy announcing the arrival of famous pilots. He recognised Morton and Johnny quite quickly, noting that both could win this thing. He also had to point out that Taylor was an amazing athlete, even if he wasn't a pilot. Morton was intrigued by Mean Gene's presence, but all was made clear when Gene noted that the Kessel Run administrators had hired him to provide commentary for the big race. After all, he was one of the most famous voices in wrestling, and his skills would certainly be useful here. Of course, Morton and Johnny weren't the only pilots' whose arrival demanded Mean Gene's commentary.
Race: Fenixan
Occupation: Good Ol' Boys and Pilots
There were actually two Duke boys, but they still only get one character description. Deal with it. That's because there really wasn't much to distinguish the two Duke boys. Their descriptions both included western shirts, jeans and cowboy hats. Their attitudes were also very similar, with a great deal of western slang and talk about how they were gonna get out of this one and escape from some guy named Boss Hogg. They also didn't appear to have names, and could only be refered to collectively as the Duke Boys. Distinguishing them individually seemed to involve calling one the Good Duke Boy, and the other the Bad Duke Boy. This denotation was a reference to their flight skills. Although one Duke Boy was noticeably more dextrous than the other, they would still randomly pick the driver of their ship, The General Lee. This red Falcon seemed designed mostly for jumps, shart turns and style. The Dukes of Hazard would clearly need all three of these things to win the Kessel Run, especially considering the nagging questions (posed by themselves) about how they would get out of this one.
Description: You are one big guy. Not only are you tall, but you also have massive muscles. Your other most important characteristics include your shaved head and the tattoo on your arm. Though few people know it, this tattoo is actually the name of one of your first D&D characters. Otherwise, you usually wear T-shirts that show off your muscles, jeans and sunglasses. When going after criminals, you also like to carry a big rocket launcher. Nothing makes you happier than blowing things up.
Background/Personality: You are both fast and furious. As one of the best pilots in the galaxy, you've made a fortune from your extreme racing. But that wasn't enough for you. The point of races is to get through with your ship intact. As such, it didn't satisfy your desire for huge explosions, and that made you furious.
Your life took a big turn after several grueling races on your homeworld of Fenixa. You were approached by a member of the Deksiilan CIA (Corascant Intelligence Agency) and offered a position in their department. Apparently, they were looking for an extreme athlete to become a secret agent. You didn't hesitate for a moment. Now, you provide the extreme piloting and anger, while they provide you with as many explosives as you can use.
This year's Kessel Run should provide you with an opportunity to vent your anger in both racing and with your rocket launcher. A few weeks ago, a shipment of confiscated drugs was hyjacked en route to Deksiil. Sources informed the CIA that the one responsible for stealing these drugs intended to sell them to a major dealer at the Grand Prix station during the race. This isn't surprising; since it's held in a legal grey area, the Kessel Run serves as a meeting point for smugglers and criminals of all sorts. You don't know who stole these drugs, but you intend to bust up both them and their drug deal. Of course, that should still leave you time to win the race. You are an extreme athlete, after all.
Strength: 30 - +3 +3
Dexterity: 31 - +3 (+6)
Agility: 28 - +5 AC, -1 Speed
Health: 15 - +1 HP/Level
Willpower: 18 - +1 PP/Level
Intelligence: 17 - +1 NWS
HP: 50
PP: 50
Combat Skills:
Brawl: 30
Firearms: 45 (+4, -2)
Furious: 5 (Get firearms for 1)
Weapons:
Rocket Launcher (38, 8d10+10, 7, Concussion: 5d10) +10, -3
Non-Weapon Skills:
Reading/Writing
Mechanics
Space Flight 3
Gung-Ho
Vin Diesel was just arriving in his Heatwave, The Fury. Most of the crowd was awed by the arrival of this extreme sports star. Their amazement didn't seem to have much effect on Vin Diesel, who was quickly frustrated by the wait to register. Muttering that the officials were taking too long, Vin punched out the people in front of him before pulling out a rocket launcher and blasting the side of the bay. Gene found this unbelievable, and mentioned that it was a good thing the interior of the station had been specially reinforced to withstand Vin Diesel's constant explosions.
Please proceed to page two of this adventure for more details on the Kessel Run.
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