Storm Breaking
Treat the top of the town map as north. The Lucky Devil pirates have two hover trucks, one hover car, two cycles and a jetcopter at their disposal. All of the vehicles, except the jetcopter, approach from the South, but split up to surround the town. Truck 1 halts on the South side, truck 2 in the common after entering from the north side, the hover car halts on the North side just outside the common, and the two hover cycles halt on the West side. The jetcopter is a short distance away and will arrive in 1d5 combat turns.
Hover Truck 1: 6 pirates (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - 3 with autorifles and machetes and 3 with gyrojet pistols and electric swords
Hover Truck 2: 6 pirates (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - 3 with autorifles and machetes and 3 with needler rifles, 2 smoke grenades & 2 frag grenades
Hover Car: Ramirez (RW 60, M 60, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 50) skiensuit, albedo screen, power belt, laser rifle, sonic sword plus 3 pirates (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - auto pistols and vibroknives
Hover Cycle 1: 2 pirates (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - autopistols & 2 frag grenades
Hover Cycle 2: 2 pirates (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - autopistols & 2 frag grenades
Jet copter (armed with 2 rockets and heavy machine gun): Crew of 2 (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - sonic stunners plus 4 yazirian jumpers (RW 35, M 35, PS 3, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40) skiensuits - gyro-jet pistols, 2 smoke grenades, swords
Ramirez is the leader and will look to talk first but if he suspects something is up he will be quick to resort to violence. The jet copter will come in looking for high value targets (vehicles, combat robots, the watch towers). After making two attacks with vehicle weapons in the turn it shows up, the copter will maneuver to the center of the town just a few meters above the roofs of the buildings and the 4 yazirian jumpers will deploy gliding to roof tops in pairs. Once 50% (12) of the pirates are down, roll against Ramirez’s LDR (45%) to see if they break and scatter. If Ramirez is down, roll against 20% to see if they scatter. Once 75% (18) of the pirates are down they break and scatter.
If the players have taken a hand in organizing the defenses they will learn of the trap door in the barn leading to the root cellar where the farmers plan to hide the children and other non-combatants. If the players have organized the defense then the non-combatants will begin the encounter already there. If the PCs have not been organizing the defense then groups of children and women will be running for the root cellar when the pirates show up.
Note: if the PCs failed to clean and check Ventures small arms there is a 10% that one of the weapons being used by the PCs from the arms locker will jam, misfire, or malfunction at a critical moment.
The Farmers Remain
After a successful defense of the village, Mim, a level 1 medic, will assist the PC’s medic (if there is one) in patching the wounded up. The farmers will make good on the deal providing discounted grain at a great price to fill Venture’s hold. The PCs will receive some luxury items from the farmers that may be sold or bartered for full value in a market on another planet: 2 cases of quality Lossend wine (6 bottles each case with individual bottles worth about 100 cr. apiece) and 10 cases of dried fruit (about 100 cr./case). It is common practice with the CFM to allow crews to indulge in side deals as long as it doesn’t interfere with the ship’s business.
Lossend Rangers will show up after the fact to investigate and question everyone. If the battle is a close thing a pair of Rangers could show up to save the day for the PCs but only if they are well and truly on the verge of death.
If the PCs and farmers are taken out, the PCs can be taken captive after being rendered unconscious. They will receive medical help from Mim once the survivors are rounded up. The pirates plan to kill everyone but Lossend Rangers will show up and drive them off. If the PCs are rescued by Lossend Rangers there will be no luxury items offered by the farmer though they will sell grain to Venture’s crew at the agreed upon price.
Two privateer vessels will blast off from Dawn’s Landing after the fight and an hour latter a freighter will suspiciously break orbit and head for the outer system on the same course as the privateers.
Experience Points: Gamma Section
Award 2-3 EXP for successfully defeating the pirates. If the PCs survive the battle but have to be rescued by the Lossend Rangers only award 1 EXP.
