CLEARANCE OF COLONY SUPPLY VESSEL CSV RONALDO

CONTAMINATION REPORT #34-23/K
CSV RONALDO drifting near Aldebaran System 34(Sector 9993-45Y)
Two crew escaped citing reptilian(?) attackers who dragged-off other crew members.
PEST I.D. Xenocarnifex sp.
CONTAMINATION LEVEL : MODERATE

ASSIGNED TEAM : ALPHA ROMEO SIERRA ECHO  7

SHIP LAYOUT FOR CSV RONALDO : ALL THIS COST LESS THAN 30 £/$/e

The pursuit ship reached Sector 9993-45Y two weeks later. The Team leader decided to set the boarding bridge onto the foreward starboard cargo bay.

DISINFECTION REPORT EXCERPT

TEAM : LEADER - YOU, FLAMER - KONGO, HEMG - PETTYBONE, HAR - SNITMEISTER, TEQUILA, HIGGINS
 (Original team was 9 but 1 went sick and  1 was eaten while vacationing on Tharg 95.
This left 7 of 9 , who would have been fantastic, but additional member was apprehended for irregular levels of blood in his narcotic stream and team fell to 6. All good eggs, though.)

THE BOYS STOOD ON THE SOON-TO-BE-BURNING DECK

Having entered CSV RONALDO first encounter was group 5 individuals identified as  Xenocarnifex sauroviatorensis. The human-composting lizard-rats of the van Demon system.
Engagement was  problematic and before team achieved Bridge control room both PETTYBONE and SNITMEISTER had received injury. Control room allowed location of Hive Entrance in Port Cargo Bay. Luckily TEQUILA found RC unit for a walker drone standing as cargo in Foreward Starboard cargo bay.

THE HORRIBLE FIGHT IN STARBOARD FORWARD CARGO BAY: SNITMEISTER NARROWLY SAVED

MASTER OF ALL YOU SURVEYS - CHECKING MAIN CONSOLE FOR HIVE LOCATION

Retracing their steps, the team deployed to enter Starboard cargo bay.

Biosensor reading for the area was relatively high, The walker drone - HEMG equipped - was deployed to the fore. Heavy weapons covered each flank. Team leader opened door.

HARPIES READY TO ATTACK

BUT A FLAME WALL AND AN HEMG DRONE SPOIL THINGS

DRONE MOPS UP AS AREA IS CLEARED

TEAM READY FOR ENTERING HIVE AREA - DRONE HAS DIED

Five Harpies revealed. KONGO flamed a barrier against attack while TEQUILA piloted the drone to hammer the nearest targets. Two rapidly eliminated. The drone was piloted further in and although it expended a lot of ammunition the last three Harpies were minced.

Team entered Starboard Cargo Bay and deployed to enter Port Cargo Bay where Hive Entrance was located. Deployed for door opening with heavy weapons forward but team holds away from door a little on the grounds that the Biosensor Ping for Hive area was high. The drone unfortunately ran out of power by now and stood silent.

Door opening revealed no less than 10 specimens ready for a fight.

OH THE HORROR, THE HORROR - TEN SPECIMENS

ANOTHER SPECIES ATTACKS BUT IS REPULSED WITHOUT LOSS

KONGO squirted a flame barrier to protect the right while Higgins lobbed grenades into the Harpies on that side. SNITMEISTER lobbed grenades down the centre with his unerring aim and caused damage. On the left a ferocious Harpy rolled well and dashed down to try and rip KONGO up.
This occurred just as everyone of the team had expended their actions hosing down the most dangerous groups of Harpies.

HARPY ABOUT TO DRAG KONGO DOWN TO HELL

However ! YOU had an action left and snapped a shot off with his hand blaster which proved enough to blow the attacker sideways into the bulkhead. He could not recover to complete his attack and stood jabbering in frustration nose-to-nose with HIGGINS.

YOU MAKES HIS LEGENDARY SHOT TO SAVE KONGO

KONGO cremated his would-be assassin and the team used the chance to advance into the Port cargo Bay. Perhaps a little too optimistically.

KONGO ERADICATES HIS RECENT UNPLEASANTNESS

Acting in packs the Harpies threw well and made rapid rushes to grapple with SNITMEISTER, KONGO and PETTYBONE. The team stood now to lose all their heavy weapons, not to mention much valued comrades and drinking companions. No, we won't mention that, they're a load of bastards, actually. We do'nt meet outside work and never share our drugs. It's all about the heavy weapons.

THE NARRATIVE SWITCHES NOW TO..
DECONTAMINATION REPORT CSV ROLANDO - DR 2

Turn X

Three Harpies remain of the original 10. Two stay hiding. The nearest throws a scary 6 and rushes KONGO – if the Flamer is out of action the Verms will have a tough fight ahead. Miraculously YOU has kept an action in hand and as the enraged Harpy crosses the door threshold in anticipation of ripping KONGO to pieces the feeble hand blaster shoots. This is enough to knock the Harpy sideways against the bulkhead and it has no remaining move points to continue the attack.

But the Harpies are now detecting the pheromonal alarm signals the Queen is sending out from her beleagured Hive. All pings are now revealed and diced for. It is a horrible sight to see just how many Harpies are scatted over the whole ship. They begin to batter the doors to get back to the Hive and to seek ways around them. In the first attempt a reinforcement is provided when 4 Harpies break through the adjacent cargo door.

X+1

VERM ACTIVATION

The Harpy knocked into the bulkhead by YOUR deft use of the hand blaster is flame-grilled by KONGO. SNITMEISTER makes a cool grenade shot to take out the Harpy hiding behind the gas flasks without causing a conflagration by setting them off too!

The Verms begin to advance towards the Hive Entrance but with lousy movement dice throws, maybe they are SCARED ?

TEQUILA moves out enough to then shoot a grenade into the mass of Harpies seething into the cargo bay. One Harpy takes all the blast and is shattered in a blast of green blood.

HIGGINS is blessed with a good grenade bonus so instead of moving he uses his direct line of sight to lob another two grenades into the Harpy mob. One is spectacularly on target and engulfs no less than 5 Harpies in its blast. But when the smoke clears only 1 was taken out! The second bounces away by a fluke and does not further damage. Now Higgins has only a single grenade left and a single burst of HAR fire. Eeeek!

GETTING LOW ON FUEL ..KONGO CHANGES HIS TANK

 Things are getting warm. The guys have not got near the Hive entrance yet.. MOVE IT!

 

HARPY ACTIVATION

Various large groups of Harpies begin to find ways around doors. Especially worrying is the one who bursts out of a wiring conduit behind the team!

Now the really scary stuff starts. The Harpies get good movement rolls and they rush the team. SNITMEISTER is the first grappled, then KONGO gets unwelcome attention followed by PETTYBONE. Both the heavy weapons are under threat and both PETTYBONE and SNITMEISTER are hampered by wounds already received. UUUUrrrghghg.

MAD RUSH OF HARPIES - MOST GET DOWNED IN THE NICK OF TIME

Luckily PETTYBONE has kept an action available and he squirts his assailant with a burst from the HEMG which does’nt kill it but flings it against the bulkhead and wounds it.

TEQUILA also has a shot in hand and he snaps off a burst to try and save the Flamer from the repulsive clutches of the Harpy assaulting KONGO. The monster is flung off-course but is unwounded and still presents a threat.

But nobody is looking out for SNITMEISTER and he flails with his HAR trying to get the ravenous attacker off him. In his weakened state it is no good – he is slashed and bludgeoned down but manages to avoid being dragged away...yet.

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE - SNITMEISTER GOING DOOWWWNN

 TURN X+2

The cargo bay door towards the boarding bridge automatically slams shut…

SNITMEISTER continues his unequal struggle but his single dice is not enough to prevent the inevitable and he collapses, covered in blood, to be snatched by the Harpy.

(x)KNOCK-DOWN DRAG-OUT FIGHT IS LOST AT LAST - SNITMEISTER IN PERIL

HIGGINS must now act as backstop and turns to lob a grenade at the Harpies coming in from the starboard engineering section scoring a deadly hit with his usual dexterity . But…only 1 grenade left!

LIKE SHOOTING DUCKS IN A DUCK SHOOTING SITUATION - HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES

KONGO is next to act but is in a quandary. He cannot use a Flamer to help SNITMEISTER without frying his friend along with the Harpy. He decides to block the enemy and conserve fuel so he sidesteps before flaming the deck in front of a Harpy otherwise obstructed from his line of fire.
 (see pic. x above)Fuel is anyway draining from his tank.

Time for heroics from YOU. The Hive must be bombed and we must get out of here. On the grounds that ‘someone’ will provide covering fire, YOU rushes bravely across to stand over the HIVE ENTRANCE from where YOU can deliver the Firebomb home next turn, if YOU survive that long.

YOU MAKES HIS EXEMPLARY DASH FOR GLORY OR AN EARLY BATH

 And PETTYBONE suddenly stands in a quandary – help SNITMEISTER or help YOU deliver the bomb so we can all get out of here!? The decision is made to step forward and blast the Harpy threatening YOU. PETTYBONE’s wounded body says otherwise, though, and it takes both actions for him to merely move into position. YOU is still in serious danger.
(Note to self..make a better handblaster...this one looks like a hair-dryer)

So, TEQUILA becomes the great Hispanic Hope. Can he move to a position where he can shoot the Harpy threatening YOU ? He throws the MINIMUM necessary. Sweat rools down YOU’s forehead as TEQUILA fires from the hip….BRRRR.. it is not a great shot but enough to send the Harpy reeling away from YOU. TEQUILA is down to 1 burst left in his magazine.

And that was the boys’ attempts...note now there is no one to keep the door between Port and Starboard cargo bays closing and dividing the team next go !

HARPY ACTIVATION

The closest, wounded Harpy tries to attack YOU. But is still bleeding profusely and unable to move. The Harpy TEQUILA blasted tries to recover and rush YOU but rolls badly and only manages to stumble forward. Hooray ! SNITMEISTER’s nemesis continues to try and drag him down into the Hive….Luckily, it cannot quite get there. There is still hope for SNITMEISTER.

From throughout the ship comes the sound of scrabbling and screaming and scraping of metal as the other Harpies seek to get back to help the Queen. Luckily the grenade explosion stops another coming in behind the team until next turn.

Then, with a smooth but decisive whirr, the door between port and starboard cargo bays slides shut. The team is now split and far away from the boarding bridge. HIGGINS decides he will never again answer the phone when on authorised leave.

We must recite the Verminators’ age old motto… KEEP BUGGERING ON!

TURN X+3

‘Now cometh the hour now cometh the man’… hopefully…

We have to firebomb the Hive and save SNITMEISTER and hold off the hordes and get out of this hell-hole ship. HIGGINS and TEQUILA are almost out of ammo.

VERM ACTIVATION

HIGGINS waits, with his gun trained on the hole in the bulkhead, quietly singing’oh sole mio’.

PETTYBONE cannot splurge the Harpy near the Hive for fear of splashing YOU and SNITMEISTER with caustic Harpy juice. He opts to take out some of the oncoming enemies, sending a burst into one and waiting to use his next shot as necessary. His target is not killed , but wounded.

KONGO elects to keep a Harpy blocked in the corner. Saving a shot for eventualities.

TEQUILA decides to reload grenades now so he has something in reserve when the rush comes. He does this without fumbling and so decides to reload his HAR mag also without problems. He is ready again to ROCK AND ROLL!

YOU has the difficult choice of seeing SNITMEISTER’s unconscious form dragged down the Hive entrance or getting long leave with bonuses. He takes the humane option. Lobbing the Firebomb successfully down the hole he lets the Harpy dragging his comrade have it in the neck. BLAM! A crappy shot but enough to make the Harpy drop his prize and cringe away.

MORE HARPIES ARRIVING - SNITMEISTER NEEDS SAVING

SNITMEISTER FREED FROM CLUTCHES OF DOOM

The Verms have managed to keep their hopes of success alive. Let’s see what the Harpies do now!

HARPY ACTIVATION

A Harpy comes through the wall from Starboard Engineering only to be shredded by HIGGINS last grenade. He stops singing ‘O Sole mio’ and starts whistling ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’.

SNITMEISTER’s tormenter tries to grab him again but KONGO enjoys sending a tongue of flame across the deck to make sure it never succeeds.

But now the other wounded Harpy recovers and leaps onto SNITMEISTER - not his day. PETTYBONE cannot see to react before it has grabbed the body. Maybe we should take some chances if we are to get out of here...so he fires anyway. The shot is so poor even the Harpy is embarassed but it is blasted away from the prone human.

A glimmer of hope remains!

TURN X+4

Picture now, if you will, YOU’s dilemma. In one hand he has the remote control for a firebomb which will destroy the Harpy Hive. He has just posted this bomb through the hole in the deck at his feet. To his left lies his bleeding comrade, To the right are approaching a pack of Harpies out for revenge. What to do first ?

TEQUILA acts first. Having reloaded he is able to pump a grenades into the Harpy pack.

A few 'Santa Maria!'s helps them to scatter the right way and one creature explodes. Caustic blood flies all around but YOU escapes injury. TEQUILA saves a shot for later.

Out on his lonesome, HIGGINS has no choice but to scuttle over to the door panel and open it. The team is reunited.

KONGO is sick of being held in check by the Harpies near the gas bottles and he flames them liberally but his aim is off and he only drives them back.

Rather than waste another burst he moves to support YOU.

Being in a safe spot beside the door, PETTYBONE uses a burst on a visible Harpy and waits with his second to support YOU. He inflicts a wound. TEQUILA goes partially deaf as the rounds fly over his head.

Finally, YOU must act. The Harpy threat is removed so YOU moves to grab SNITMEISTER and starts to drag him towards the door and safety. SNITMEISTER bleeds all over him in gratitude.

COVERED BY ADMIRING VERMS, YOU DANCES TO SAFETY WITH SNITMEISTER

Assuming we can set the Firebomb off successfully next turn it is time to look to Getting the Hell Out of Here!

HARPY ACTIVATION

The little buggers have not given up yet! There are 32 on this ship! All moving towards the team!

You get the picture..... to be concluded...