Seclusion: An Alien Solo RPG Campaign. Act 3, Part 2: Game Over Man, Game Over
Welcome back to Seclusion! This is the climax of the series. The seventh post. The final act.
Last we left the crew of the Bison, Kay and Casper decided to split up. Casper will try to change the ship’s course and Kay will be on standby to shut the reactor down or turn the ship nova.
I hope you are all excited about the ending! Let’s play to find out what happens.
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| The Bison as it nears the colony world. |
Scene 4 - Roll: 3 Stress Dice - No Panic
Kay rushes down the length of the Bison to the engine room. She is more comfortable down here in the bowels of the ship. She has always loved the machinery and the mechanisms, and that it was far away from the business of running the ship. Just keep things working, keep things humming along and everyone left her alone.
Well, not today. No, today she has to kill the Bison’s engine, or worse. Like Casper said, she can’t let the ship get to the colony or the company. There will be more death and more suffering if that happens. And for what? A few more percentage points in a spreadsheet. She can’t stand the company and what they do.
She makes it to the engine room.
What does Kay find? Is the door locked? Dice says a simple No. OK, is there anything in the engine room waiting for her? A Yes. OK, I think I know what is waiting for her.
Kay opens the engine room door and standing in front of her is Jessica 7. The synthetic has always freaked out Kay. She isn’t used to its calm demeanor, even in stressful situations. She hates the unnaturalness of Jessica 7. This time it is no different. The thing just stands there looking at her.
“Crewmember Kay, I must ask you to please return to your quarters before your contract with the company is terminated.”
This is good, Kay thinks. While she doesn’t relish dealing with this mechanical freak, she knows if Jessica is here, she won’t be stopping Casper from overriding the ship’s navigations. She just needs to stall the synthetic for the moment.
“Jessica. How pleasant to see you here. No, I’m just conducting standard engine checks. Nothing unusual.”
Jessica responds without hesitation, “Crewmember Kay, I am hooked into Muther and can hear all conversations on the ship. I know you and Crewmember Casper are attempting to divert this ship from its nominated course. This isn’t acceptable. So please, return to your quarters before I am forced to detain you.”
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| Jessica 7. Never with any emotions. |
Well, a conversation isn’t going to do anything, Kay thinks. Time to use more extreme measures.
Kay slowly unslings her cutting torch. “Now Jessica. You know, I never really liked you. In fact, I always hated you. So I’m not going to feel bad at all when I carve you up like a Turkey.”
OK, let’s get some stats for Jessica 7. Health 6, Strength 6, Agility 6, Wits 4, Empathy 4, Speed 1. Kay is lucky here as Jessica isn’t armed. Still, a Synthetic is a difficult opponent.
Drawing for initiative. A 9 for Jessica and 6 for Kay. Kay goes first!
In a smooth motion, one that Kay has done hundreds of times, Kay pulls out her cutting torch and flicks it on as she brings it around in an arch at Jessica.
Kay - Roll Strength (5) - Close Combat (2) - Stress (2) - 3 Success - 3 Damage. 1 additional damage and knocks Jessica to the floor. Jessica is now at 2/6 health.
Jessica was clearly preparing for a slash across her face, but Kay has been in a few fights herself and knows nobody can fight if they can’t stand. Kay instead slashes at Jessica’s legs, causing deep plasma cuts. The android falls down, her legs unable to support her for the moment.
Jessica - Roll Strength (6) - Close Combat (0) - 2 Success - 1 Damage. 1 additional damage. Kay at 3/5 health
Jessica launches up and slams Kay twice in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Kay stumbles backward, but tightens the grip on her torch and comes at Jessica again.
Kay - Roll Strength (5) - Close Combat (2) - Stress (2) - 1 Success - 1 Panic
Panic Roll - Current Stress 2+3 (on a D6) = 5 Keeping it together
The strikes to her core have Kay gasping and struggling for breath. She tries to suck in air but nothing comes in. Those precious lost seconds allow Jessica 7 the chance to launch another withering strike at Kay.
Roll Strength (6) - Close Combat (0) - 0 Success
Even though she is gasping and can’t breathe, Kay stumbles backward and Jessica is unable to find the proper leverage on her damaged legs to get the range. Kay looks at Jessica, turns up the heat on her torch, and smiles. “Jessica, I’m sorry to say, your about to be decommissioned.”
Roll Strength (5) - Close Combat (2) - Stress (2) - 0 Success - 1 Panic
Panic Roll - Current Stress 2+1 (on a D6) = 3 Keeping it together
But Jessica isn’t done yet. Even on damaged legs, the synthetic is quick and able to dodge out of the way of the torch. Kay rains blows down but only hits the walls of the corridor. Jessica sees an opening and surges forward, but Kay is already ready for the attack.
Roll Strength (6) - Close Combat (0) - 1 Success - 1 Damage.
Kay Blocks - Roll Strength (5) - Close Combat (2) - Stress (2) - 2 Success
Decrease Damage (1 damage) and Counter Attack (2 damage)
Seeing Jessica’s damaged legs and the synthetic being unable to move properly Kay blocks with the torch, knocking Jessica’s hands to the side and then slashing the machine across the face.
The plasma torch cuts straight through Jessica’s skull and into the important computational equipment inside. Jessica’s eyes go wide and then blank as the synthetic drops to the ground, deactivated.
Scene 5 - Roll: 3 Stress Dice - No Panic
Hurt, staggered, and possibly bleeding internally, Kay kicks the synthetic to ensure she is dead. Well not dead, Kay things, but deactivated, or broken. She slowly walks the rest of the way to the reactor room. She feels weak. Was it the fight? Or is that shit in her body now destroying her from the inside.
“Casper, this is Kay. I’ve made it to the reactor. I had to kill that bitch Jessica to get here but I think I’m safe now. I ain’t feeling too good. How are you doing changing the ship’s course?”
Ok, a very important roll. Was Casper able to change course or did he fail? Let’s roll a D6 to find out. A 6! That’s Yes, And. Yes, he was able to change course, and he isn’t too infected yet.
“Kay! So glad to hear you. I did it! I did it! Holy shit I did it! Seems with Conrad dead or whatever he is, Muther defaulted to my control as the highest-ranking officer. I’m the Captain now!” And Casper laughs. Kay thinks he really has gone overboard with the drugs but it doesn’t matter at this point.
“Good goddamn job Casper. I’m not feeling good. Let’s get to the medbay and jump into a pod before we turn all zombie.”
“Right behind you. I’m just putting a call out to the company with our demands and then I’ll meet you there.”
Kay breathes a sigh of relief. They actually made it. They actually survived.
Casper and Kay meet at the medbay and hurriedly rush into their pods. The last thing she sees before going to sleep is the readout stating Diagnosis in Progress, please relax…
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| Kay, safe in the medpod |
Epilogue
Kay wakes up and immediately feels a wave of nausea. Typical hypersleep sickness. She finds the bucket next to the pod and vomits on cue. After she finishes up she drinks from the provided water tap and feels her senses return.
Confusion grips her, then fear. She isn’t on the Bison. She is in some sterile room, pure white. The only thing in it is her medpod and a wide mirror that takes up a whole wall.
The intercom crackles, and a croaky voice speaks. “Good morning Kay Masterton. We are glad to see you awake. Now we’d like to ask you a few questions.”
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Well, Kay and Casper survived but you didn’t think the story would have a happy ending did you? Where is Kay being kept? Does the company have her, or something worse? We may never know the answers…
Thank you all so much for reading this 7-post-long Alien RPG adventure. I had a great time writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
The blog will be taking a break for the next couple of weeks but I’ll be back in early February with more actual plays and other things for the blog.
Thanks, everyone again!
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