Relics and Rayguns Session 4: Forest Moon

Following a mysterious set of wormhole exit node coordinates found in an ancient space station, the crew of the Blind Jump arrives in a new solar system, with a hot, Mercury-type planet and a gas giant with an Earth-like moon. They immediately begin scanning for electromagnetic emissions, and quickly trace a faint signal to the Earth-like moon. As they approach, they see that the moon is tidally locked to the gas giant, with one side facing the larger planet at all times, and that its orbital period is extremely fast, approximately 13 hours to complete an orbit, making it both very close to the gas giant and giving it a 13 hour day.

As the Blind Jump approaches the planet, the prospectors see that the moon is heavily forested, with two medium-sized oceans. Using radar, Binx detects a small amount of metal near one of the oceans, and the crew decides to land there. They detach the crew compartment from the front of the ship and Lefty pilots them down to the surface.

Feeling cautious after their last experience, the crew disembarks in environment suits, even though the moon’s atmosphere appears breathable. The metal appears to be a Founder sensor station, partially broken with bits and pieces scattered about. A rustling behind them alerts the crew to two arboreal creatures vaguely resembling 1.5 meter tall Earth squirrels, who scamper back into the forest as soon as the crew sees them. The crew also notices some partially buried cabling leading down into the ocean.

After testing the ocean waters and determining them to be salt water and not, say, acid, the team proceeds into the water in their environment suits, following the cable across the ocean floor. As the waters become increasingly dark, the team turn on their headlamps, and in the gloom ahead, they see a dome-like structure with several large pipes sticking out of it. As he circles the structure, Max is nearly sucked into one of the pipes, which is drawing seawater in at a high rate. There are two airlocks leading into the structure, one more sized for individuals and one for cargo or vehicles. With some help from Hooey, Binx jimmies the airlock controls on the personnel lock and the prospectors enter the structure.

Inside the airlock, the prospectors discover what appear to be Founder environment suits, which they carry with them, as none of them really fit the right physiology. They move into the structure, and very shortly encounter a group of biological constructs resembling squid with legs. The constructs are doing some sort of repair on one of the corridor walls. Hooey approaches one of the workers and pokes it, and they attack.

Hoping to distract the workers, Binx shoots the panel they were repairing. Unfortunately, that does not deter the attack. Shuhb draws his needle pistols and fires, basically exploding one of the squid-like workers. Hooey tries unsuccessfully to grapple one of the workers. Miau long swings at one with a power-armored claw but misses. The three remaining workers pull welding torches from their tool belts and attack with them, but flail madly and miss. Lefty hits one with a raygun, but the creature’s slimy hide absorbs the energy; Max, however, pops his cyberblades and neatly decapitates one.

Shuhb fires again but misses as he dodges the welding torches. Hooey makes a grab for a torch, but also misses, as do the flailing, torch-wielding tentacles of the workers. Shuhb and Binx combine their needle fire to take down one of the remaining workers, and Max finishes off the last with his cyberblades. Hearing footsteps approaching, most of the prospectors take cover, except Hooey, who stares curiously down the corridor, and Lefty, who slips and falls in the remains of the worker drones.

Another drone appears, this one carrying a weapon. It fires at Hooey, but with no effect. Max returns fire, grazing the armed drone. Miau hits it with a raygun blast, then Hooey charges at it with a welding torch and fries it. Three more armed drones appear and open fire, seriously wounding Hooey with raygun blasts, then sending him running away in pain with a microwave raygun blast. Lefty, still on the ground, rolls frantically away from more raygun blasts, while Max cooly takes them on his armored exosuit, then returns fire with a mini-missile, shaking up the cluster of enemies.

In the confusion, Lefty runs forward and scoops up the raygun dropped by the first newcomer. Shuhb fires on the three armed drones and kills one; Binx sprays suppressive fire to distract the other two, then Miau fires the lightning cannon in his power armor and cooks one of the survivors. Max finishes off the last with his cyberblades, and the prospectors collect the alien weapons and move on.

Further into the station, Binx spots a device that piques her curiosity. On examination, it proves to be a Founder medical pack, which Shuhb eagerly takes for use on the team. Further still, the group reaches what appears to be a cafeteria space. As they inspect it, a swarm of crab-like creatures emerges from the food preparation area and attacks…


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