AP (ID) - The Vandern Derelict Session 01

Last Wednesday, I joined a playtest for +Adrian Thoen's new, PbtA, sci-fi game, Impulse Drive, and it was a cluster of fun! The game is still in the works, but it has tons of great stuff going for it already. This post isn't a review of the game but rather an AP for the first session. I may add commentary later, or I'll just write a separate post for it (perhaps after a few more sessions). 

Impulse Drive

The Vandern Derelict

The Space Master

+Adrian Thoen was our intrepid Space Master (SM) - the equivalent of an MC or DM.

The PCs

Willem, the Sage (played by +Radioactive Bears), is a tech-savvy human with a heightened, intellectual curiosity and a distaste for med bays. He's the chief, operating technician of the Nothung and has teamed up with Vex out of necessity to better withstand the dangers that most jobs bring - at least the ones that offer decent pay. Still, it's barely enough to cover the costs of maintaining their ship and paying back their loan.

Vex, the Tempest (played by me), is a proud, regal, humanoid lion from the planet Ryal III. He is the last of his kind, as far as he knows, for his pride and kin were destroyed by the Ragi, a strong but inferior race of lizardmen who saw the Ryalians as a threat. Vex has sworn to destroy them at all costs and regain his rightful status. He's distrustful of most beings but has actually found a dependable, if often frustrating, partner in Willem. He might even dare to call him a friend one day!

---

Session 01

Last login: Wed Jan  28 17:05:29 on console
Computer-Log:~ narrator$

RAR Session-01 archive

Extracting from ./ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.session01.rar

Creating ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew                                            OK
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Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.name           OK
Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.home           OK
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Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.foibles        OK
Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.calamity       OK
Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.moves          OK
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Extracting ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.crew/The.Vandern.Derelict - ID.bonds         60%

Extracting from ./ID.The.Vandern.Derelict.partA.rar

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All OK

The Vandern Derelict by Adrian Thoen

Part A

The Download and the Durak

Willem and Vex were on board a desolate, shipwrecked, derelict ship in an asteroid field which was once the planet Vandern III before it blew up roughly a century ago. They sought out a computer terminal to download an encrypted data file for their employer, Varenia Drake, director of the Taxila Mining Co. on Vandern IV.

No one seemed to know what happened to the derelict ship or the people on board. All Willem and Vex knew was the location of the terminal and the fact that they were being paid 13,000 guilders to carry out the job. It sounded easy enough, but the distant echoes of skittering and clattering of metal made them think twice about how safe the job would actually be. Willem entirely too calm and curious, but Vex's hairs were standing on end.

Listening to the sounds, they realized they belonged to a race of space-born parasites called the Durak. Physically, they were biomechanical, crab-like aliens the size of cats who consumed metal/electronics and could survive in a vacuum. Behaviorally, they were extremely territorial and were considered annoying, dangerous vermin.

Vex heard them approaching from three places: the corridor they had come through and two, ventilation shafts - one on the ceiling and one on the ground, near the terminal console. Vex readied his laser pistol and began moving equipment to cover up the lower vent.

Meanwhile, Willem turned on the console and discovered a video depicting two women of different species with some sort of relationship before starting the download.

It was about a quarter finished when two Durak broke through the ceiling vent and jumped down. Vex shot one dead with his pistol, but the other one quickly jumped on Willem. Vex charged forward to rip it off him, but the Durak's pincer claws punctured a hole in Willem's vac suit. Three more Durak suddenly jumped down and began closing in. One reeled back and launched a spit wad of corrosive acid onto Vex's suit. Needless to say, Vex quickly developed a hatred for the Durak, while the inquisitive Willem was the complete opposite. He hatched an experimental plan, which he wanted to put to the test.

The download was over halfway complete, and Willem grabbed one of the advancing Durak to use as a shield against one of the spitters. He was extremely curious to see if their acid had any effect on their own kind, but Vex grew even more frustrated. Willem's plan backfired, and the Durak he grabbed lashed out at him. Vex sacrificed his own hide to help Willem out and quickly regretted it! 

Wounded and infuriated, Vex's eyes turned an icy color as electric blue sparks surged through his body. He let out a destructive, deafening roar that forced all the Durak to recoil and cower in hesitation and fear. 

With the download finally complete, Vex roared to Willem that they needed to leave stat. Willem, ever so calmly, thought of another plan. By tinkering with the computer systems, he managed to reverse the polarity of the gravity in the room. "You might want to hold on to something," he said, but Vex was caught off-guard and didn't take well to the gravity shift. As a result, he developed a slight phobia of zero G but still managed to offer a second solution to help them escape. "Hold on tight," he growled, as his eyes glowed azure blue, and he threw his gloved paws up facing the wall. Willem knew what was coming, and his eyes grew wide with interest, for he'd never seen Vex's telekinetic abilities until now. 

A psychic blast erupted from Vex's paws, and they went flying backwards, through the corridor and into the next room, taking some dead, Durak with them. Since the gravity was normal there, they fell hard on their bums, and Vex felt uneasy again. They heard sounds of more Durak approaching - a swarm - and Vex grew frightened. Willem thought they were fascinating and wondered if he could use the dead Durak to make him and Vex blend in with the swarm, so-to-speak. He asked Vex to punch a hole through the wall and grab him some wires in an effort to polarize the Durak's organs and attach them to the wires. Vex was mildly impressed, but it seemed to work. Willem was having a blast! He even mimicked a crab walk which annoyed Vex. Together, they pressed on toward their ship.

Willem and Vex eventually reached a gap and could either risk getting across, thus saving them time, or take the longer, safer route which would take them twice as long. Under normal circumstances, they probably would have chosen the safer route. However, Willem's punctured vac suit was almost out of air, and Vex really wanted to get off the derelict ship ASAP. Vex told Willem to hold on to him again, as he turned his back to the gap and projected his paws toward the floor before releasing another psychic blast. 

The good news is they got across and boarded their ship, the Nothung, without a problem. The bad news is that Vex felt his space sickness kick in, and he did more than cough up a hairball inside his suit. 

The Nothung

Stats

+1 Helm (controls and systems for flight, navigation, and maneuvering)

0 Tactical (control sensors, communications, weapons aside from basic, short-range weapons that deal 1 damage)

+1 Engineering (monitoring ship's vital signs, controlling onboard systems i.e. life support, shipboard communications, rerouting power from one system to another, fuel reserves, and faster than light travel via an Interstellar Drive)

-1 Drive (all basic Drives start at -1 and can be upgraded at a later time)

0 Rep (starts at 0; represents how well known you are and what you're known for)

Interstellar Drive

Simple, sub-space drive

Secondary Systems

• Medbay
• Ram scoop
• Flak mines (proximity mines used for setting traps or behind a fleeing ship to provide cover and avoid pursuit)

Part B

Recuperation, Running, and Renegotiating

Willem and Vex spent a day recuperating in the Nothung whilst staying by the derelict ship. The Sage couldn't stand being cooped up in the medbay but did so to keep Vex company.

The next day, they finally took off. Vex steered them through the asteroid belt toward Vandern IV, but along the way, they were hailed by a mysterious ship and a strange woman with light, purple skin named Maria Valez. Coincidentally, she resembled one of the women in the strange video Willem and Vex found with the file they downloaded. She told them she was boarding their ship, but Vex stubbornly refused. She threatened them with a warning shot and said they couldn't outrun her, but Vex was determined to prove her otherwise. When she asked them what they were doing on the derelict ship, Vex told her they had something she might want - for a price. Vex told Willem to upload the video they found. Upon seeing it, the woman looked shocked and fired several more warning shots, unwilling to negotiate. Vex knew that was their cue to run, and he took off as fast as he could, weaving and dodging through the asteroid field with relative ease.

It took Willem and Vex another day to reach Vandern IV, and in the meantime, they discussed what had happened and how their predicament could be much bigger than they anticipated. Vex asked Willem to make a copy of the encrypted data file and decrypt so that they could learn what information they were dealing with. Willem had to be careful not to leave a trace, but he successfully duplicated the file and opened it. Quite a bit of information about Varenia Drake was revealed.

A group of exiles and criminals called the Black Mandible took refuge in the asteroid belt and had fallen to piracy. The data confirmed that Varenia was a Black Mandible pirate in the past, when they were squatting in the derelict ship, and that she had some sort of relationship with Maria Velez. Varenia had plans to infiltrate the Taxila Mining Co., either to work as an insider or to go legit.

Following the revelation, Willem and Vex weighed their options carefully. They initially thought about selling the information to Varenia, the Black Mandible pirates, and the Taxila Mining Co. to get paid three times. Ultimately, they didn't want to sully their reputation but figured they could squeeze more money out of Varenia plus a favor, redeemable at any time of their choosing, no questions asked. Willem also went ahead and deleted the copy to ensure their reputation stays intact. 

After they arrived on Vandern IV and went to see Varenia Drake, Willem took the lead on the negotiation, while Vex stared at her with a cold fury. It was a classic good cop, bad cop routine. Once they spilled the beans about knowing what was on the file, Varenia reached for something, and Vex pulled his laser pistol on her. She was simply turning off all security cameras and recording devices, ready to renegotiate. 

In the end, Willem and Vex managed to broker an additional 22,000 guilders from her along with that favor, but in return, they had to fly back to the derelict ship and destroy the computer console whilst providing evidence in the form of a video recording. Willem and Vex agreed but also requested additional equipment to borrow such as a tactical pack for Willem and an assault rifle for Vex.

End of Session 01

Will Willem and Vex make it back to the derelict ship in one piece?

Will they encounter Maria Valez and the Black Mandible pirates again?

Will Vex's phobias of zero G and the Durak get the best of him?

Will Willem come up with a genius scheme to destroy the console without risking their lives?

We'll play to find out later today, when +Adrian Thoen runs Session 02. We may even have three more players, making it a full crew!

Image Credits: 1) Willem by +Adrian Thoen; 2) Vex by Misha Polonsky (myself); 3) The Vandern Derelict by +Adrian Thoen 

AP (ToaM) - Tales of the Arx Jericho - Season 1, Episode 12: The Battle of Jericho, Part I

​Previously

The new school term began, but Rick, Serena, and Opsie missed the first day of classes due to their Prophet training.

Sarah went to meet her brother, Allen, who was arriving, but got ambushed by CRC scientists who took her to the underground, Cloistered Research Council facility to receive an injection of AmBrO51A serum from Rick's father, Rafe Hunter. 

Jason found a strange, unmarked envelope in his dorms that said, "Find the real source. Trace it back. Not all is what it seems." After hacking the surveillance cameras, he discovered it was Dr. Johnson who delivered the envelope.

Jason and Strudel embarked to find Sarah and found Allen as well as the Linc Sarah dropped. The three of them snuck into the CRC facility.

After Sarah refused the serum, Dr. Hunter let her go only to sound the alarms, as the military initiated a lockdown of the Arx Jericho. Rick went through a guided, meditation trial with Serena and Opsie, while being berated by Dr. Johnson, until the alarms sounded. Opsie ran away. Billy appeared and drew a gun on Dr. Johnson, suspecting him of foul play. Dr. Johnson disarmed Billy and told Rick and Serena to stay put, as he left. Rick, Serena, and Billy looked for a way out. Sarah saw Jason, Strudel, and Allen up in the vents and turned in surprise to meet AK-47, who had disguised herself as a scientist. Opsie soon found them too.

She led everyone ran back to Rick, Serena, and Billy, but the power went out. The pilots worked together to free Rick, and AK-47 led them back through the facility, where they ran into Dr. Johnson. All seven of the pilots followed AK and Dr. J to Rafe's laboratory and a secret door that led down to an even deeper, underground hangar.

Excerpt from the end of Episode 11:

They come to a high security door, which Jason sets to work on unlocking, fashioning a device to open it despite the lack of power. On the other side of the door is a huge hangar - like a deep pit with walkways spiralling downwards - containing some deconstructed aquatic Mayzor locusts, chemistry sets of AmBro51A and other serums, giant tanks containing test subjects from the captured Wormwood, previously unseen prototype locusts and a crashed satellite. On the walls are paintings and tapestries depicting a human woman wearing armour of glowing white porcelain, pale skin and silver hair. At the bottom of the hangar they see a figure. At first it looks like a CRC scientist, but its form shifts to that of Rafe Hunter - dark hair, similar features to Rick, tall, syringe in hand. He's just standing in the middle of the hangar, unmoving, and as they reach the bottom his form changes again. He still looks like Rafe, but he's wearing white porcelain armor, his skin is much paler and his hair is silver. He gives them a wicked smile and laughs lightly. 

"Who the hell are you?" Rick breathes, shocked at his 'father's' appearance.'Rafe' cracks his neck, "Don't you recognise me, son? Daughter? It's me. I'm your father."He has the Wormwood flash drive in his hand, and his laugh continues to echo in the chamber as Rick whispers, "But you're...you're a..."He uses the old word for the Mayzor, before they fled attacks by radical religious groups on Earth, "...Legulus." 

Holographic screens project the words 'Operation Blue Moon', designs of the Prophet-class SAInts, references to something called 'the General', and AK 47 and Dr Johnson are looking very worried as the figure gloats, "You're too late." 

Sarah says, "A gun sure would be handy right about now." 

And Dr Johnson remembers the gun at his back, drawing it on 'Rafe', who just laughs at him, "Bullets can't stop the General."Dr Johnson looks at AK 47, who nods, and he sighs, firing the gun. The bullet goes straight through 'Rafe' and he shimmers, revealing him to be a hologram. 

Suddenly the power comes back on, and they hear the words 'SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED' over the intercom just seconds before a Mayzor raid alarm sounds...

---

Cast

In order of appearance: Name, Age (Character Type)

PCs

Rick Hunter, 15 (PC)

Sarah Werner, 15 (PC)

Jason Reyes, 14 (PC)

NPCs

RC (Relationship Character), SC (Supporting Character), E (Extra)

Dr. Donald 'Scary Face' Johnson, 54 (SC)

Rafe Hunter / The General, ?? (SC)

Serena Hunter, 15 (RC)

Opsie Wessel, 15 (RC)

Captain Anastasia 'AK-47' Kasherov, 47 (RC)

Alex 'Strudel' Struder, 12 (RC)

Billy Henderson, 17 (RC)

Allen Werner, 18 (E)

Joanne Kleinn, 14 (RC)

Commander Toshi Yamasuka, 52 (E)

Commander McGarry, 65 (E)

Miguel Rodriguez, 11 (E)

Leo 'Raspberry' Hayes, 12 (RC)

Laurie Bach, 14 (SC)

Kazuhiro Masaki, 16 (E)

Ryoko, 12 (E)
Bala & Lieke (aka the Twins), 13 (E)
Stephanie Yuzuki, 13 (SC)
Dr. Elizabeth Harris, 37 (SC)

Actual Play

Tuesday, September 2nd 2031

15:18

8 Minutes and Counting

"EIGHT MINUTES UNTIL SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE IS EXECUTED," the droning, female voice of the computer blares.  It's alluring taunt makes the prospect of becoming engulfed in a sea of flames and going down with the ship seem endearing. 

Never before have Rick, Sarah, and Jason felt so scared, despite everything they've went through the past year. Nothing has ever come close to the sudden, tangible danger they currently face: not the Chicago Catastrophe or facing Belial; not the shared nightmares and prophetic dreams of the interface tests; not New Alamo or battling Thammuz and Beelzebub; not the disturbing news surrounding Dr. Johnson and the Mayzor; not even the naval assault on the Bahamas last month or Enki storming in across the ocean like a bastardized amalgam of Triton and his father. All those times, the pilots were away from home, secured inside their sensory deprivation buckets¹, or both. Now, the pilots feel like naked rats trapped in a cage. They don't have their SAInts to hide inside, and time is against them. If they don't do something in the next eight minutes, everything they've worked so hard to protect will be eradicated. All their efforts will have been for nought. 

Is this what it has all come down to? Have the Mayzor really won? Are they using Dr. Johnson, or has Rafe Hunter, the General, or whoever he is, been calling the shots the whole time? How long has the CRC been under infiltration? Has their agenda always been to serve the Mayzor? Why destroy the facility now? Are the Mayzor not interested in Operation Blue Moon anymore? Do they have everything they need? Are they willing to sacrifice the Prophets? Why does the military have the Arx Jericho on lockdown, and what is happening outside? Are alarms going off because of an attack happening elsewhere, or is the base being targeted much like the Arx Galilee was prior to New Alamo? All these questions and more fill everyone's mind like locusts, but there's no time to dwell. Mayzor alarms are going off. The military still has the place on lockdown. Something bad is happening outside, and the pilots and officers of the Preservation Forces must act faster than ever before. 

"Rick, Serena, Opsie!" Dr. Johnson yells, "Follow me! We must get you into the Prophets." Rick agrees. He may not fully be ready to pilot the Super SAInt, but that doesn't matter. They have less than eight minutes left, and everything's at stake. Rick, Serena, and Opsie follow Dr. Johnson without hesitation, while AK-47 and the rest of the pilots turn to Jason.

"Right then," Jason says. It's no coincidence that he's singled out by Dr. Scary Face after being called out for infliltrating his files. With Rick the main, Prophet pilot and Sarah the new team leader of Alpha Company, Jason remains invaluable as the reigning, technological genius of both Alpha Company and, perhaps, the entire US Preservation Forces.  If anyone can stop the perilous, self-destruct sequence, it's fourteen-year-old Jason Reyes or the, "Hack King," according to Strudel. With Sarah and Strudel by his side, Jason successfully hacks the CRC's network and terminates the countdown. Unfortunately, a failsafe program triggers a security countermeasure and reawakens a group of dormant, Mayzor Swarm hidden deep within the General's hangar. 

Sarah, Jason, Strudel, Billy, Allen, and AK-47 hear the echoing, metal tang of robotic arthropods scurrying in the shadows. They move up the grated catwalk quietly, but hastily, before the Swarm can ensnare them with their razor sharp appendages and piercing maxillae.

A Dangerous Escape

Rick, Serena, Opsie, and Dr. Johnson are almost to the Prophet hangar, when they notice oncoming CRC scientists fleeing to escape the facility. Dr. Johnson may have clout with them, but who knows what side they're really on? Having Rick and the girls present would certainly raise suspicions, and they don't want to take any chances. It's better to play it safe, so they sidestep into a perpendicular hallway to hide.

Meanwhile, Sarah, Jason, and the others feel the same way. They carefully meander back to the main corridors and debate on where to go next. AK-47 thinks they should simply take the main exit, but Sarah and Jason are highly suspicious of the masked scientists and convince her to circumvent them by taking one of the ventilation shafts. Jason asks Billy how he got into the facility, but he gives him a useless, lackluster response. Jason is forced to lead the others back to the hall, where he first ran into Sarah and AK after sneaking into the facility.

They peer around the corner and see three CRC scientists standing below the open shaft with their backs turned. A crazy idea sparks in Jason's mind to bum-rush the scientists and use them to jump up into the vent, but a more sensible plan emerges to subvert them by having AK-47 don her mask and order them away using Jason as a prop. The plan works, and the scientists flee now that the escaped prisoner is in custody. Sarah, Jason, AK, and the rest of the pilots climb into the vents and escape.

Having reached the Prophet hangar undetected, Rick and Dr. Johnson help Serena and Opsie suit up into their Super SAInts and exit out of the side of the Arx, leaving Rick to be suited last. 

Merged Companies and Sequestered Teammates

Sarah and Jason's group discreetly avoid the military, as they double time to the Operations Headquarters. Deafening sounds of explosions resonate, and machine gunfire and energy beams blanket the sky in blinding bursts. Robbies and tanks target hostile Mayzor, while foot soldiers escort civilians to safety and maintain the lockdown. A colony of ant-like Swarm almost grab hold of Billy with jagged mandibles, but the adrenaline kicks in, and the pilots flee to their escape.

They're met by Joanne, who's already suited up and climbing into the bucket to be hoisted into her SAInt. As the suspension gel fills the sensory deprivation tank, Sarah, Jason, Strudel, and Billy change into their Launch Suits to undergo the same process. AK-47 tasks Allen with piloting one of the Robbies, while she joins the Preservation Forces commander in the Operations Control Room. 

By the time the SAInts are ready for deployment, Rick, Serena, and Opsie are already outside the CRC facility and skating up the side of the Arx by way of their Prophets' anti-gravity thrusters.

With Commander Yamasuka arguing with USM Commander McGarry² over the military's lockdown and blatant disregard for protocol, Captain Kasherov briefs the pilots on their primary objectives over the MetaTron. Intel reveals thirty-five Locusts, possibly more, aiding hordes of Swarm all across the Arx. The others pilots are secluded and trapped in various locations, and ensuring their freedom is pivotal so that they can return to their SAInts and help fight off the invasion. 

Half of Alpha and Bravo Company group up. Sarah, Jason, and Strudel reunite with Billy and embark with Joanne for the first time in their piloting careers. The set out to the male dormitory, east of the Wormwood that crashed in the central garden, while Rick leads Serena and Opsie toward the cafeteria on the opposite side.

Miguel and Raspberry have hidden themselves inside the dorm, and the front entrance is sealed shut. Military personnel are combatting the Swarm, while two, metallic beetles, the size of tanks, are prying the double doors open with their steel claws and keen pincers. Team Sarah and Jason take the high ground and position themselves atop the female dorm, across the way, at High Ballistics (HB) range. Jason aims his EZK-L Particle Beam at one of the Brawlers and fires. Sarah launches a barrage of Tiamat missiles at the other Brawler and the surrounding Swarm. All three targets are eliminated in succeeding explosions, and AK-47 gives the order to extract Miguel and Raspberry which Billy takes care of.

Meanwhile, Rick, Serena, and Opsie engage one of the two Archers firing at the cafeteria's front entrance. These Locusts resemble oversized, armor-plated earwigs with large cerci that fire dual, high-powered energy beams at HB. Armed with a pair of 'Arc Swords at Close Quarters (CQ) range, Rick cuts off the Archer's rear forceps, Serena impales its body with her LaNSe Detonating Spear, and Opsie decapitates it. The explosive lodged inside its abdomen explodes and incinerates the rest of it. 

Over the MetaTron, Rick calmly says, "Enemy unit down."

The trio proceeds to engage the forty-foot long, twenty-foot high scorpions, known as Soldiers, armed with energy weapons in their tails. Two of them stay in Threat Range of the cafeteria doors and fire energy lasers at FA range. Laurie, Kazuhiro, and Ryoko are stuck inside with a majority of their classmates, and the Locusts have almost blasted a hole big enough for the Swarm to slip through. Rick sheaths one of his swords and uses the other to jab through the scorpion's abdomen while grabbing its tail with his now-free hand. He swings the Soldier around and collides it with the other before releasing his grasp. Serena and Opsie don't even have a chance to make their attack, as both Locusts explode on impact. 

"Two more enemies down," Rick says in a cold tone.

Back at the dorms, Sarah and Jason hear the buzzing of wings and look up to see a strange, new, aerial Locust they'd never seen before. Recognizing it as a Chopper unit from the blueprints in the General's hangar, it's shaped like a giant, chrome dragonfly with extendable, razor sharp jaws and a long, curved tail that repeatedly fires lasers down at the breached entrance to the male dorm. 

"I got this," Sarah tells Jason over the MetaTron, "You reload."

Jason takes cover and reloads his EZK-L, while Sarah opens fire at FA with her RDav Combat Rifle, or "Giant Killer." Her armor piercing shells shred through the Chopper's compound eyes and wings. It's upper half explodes in mid-air, and it's tail crashes into the ground, taking out whatever Swarm are still left after the Tiamat attack. 

Miguel and Raspberry finally get their chance to escape, but US military troops start surrounding them. Sarah tries to reason with them over a loudspeaker. She plays to their sensible nature, telling them there's more pressing danger than two, measly, teenage pilots. Jason reloads his rifle and gives the military a look. Seeing the SAInts looming over them, they quickly back off, and Miguel and Raspberry rush over to HQ to suit up and board their SAInts.

The Swarm surrounding the cafeteria start slithering through the main entrance, while the remaining Archer blasts a larger hole for the rest to scuttle in. Rick takes cover and reaches inside to squash the chrome centipedes while holding his other hand out to block the Archer's lasers with his concentrated, electromagnetic, defense screen. A rippling corona absorbs the blasts, and Opsie's Sam-L Shield adds extra protection. Meanwhile, Serena hits several more, metallic vermin out of the park like golf balls.

Team Sarah and Jason rush to the simulation building, under AK-47's advice, to help free the Twins, Bala and Lieke. A pair of Locusts attack the building from opposite sides. A Soldier on the left side fires a series of plasma rays at FA, while the Brawler on the right rips chunks of building away with its massive pincers. The pilots waste no time. Sarah engages the Brawler at FA range, while Jason hangs back and shoots another, explosive, particle beam at the Soldier from HB. It's biomechanical brain bursts apart on impact, and its body gets engulfed in the explosion.  Several Swarm are also taken out. Strudel cheers. Sarah lays into the Brawler with her Giant Killer and destroys it, while Jason, Strudel, and Billy move up to crush the rest of the Swarm. 

Joanne hangs back the whole time and looks across the way at Rick, Serena, and Opsie, feeling useless. "I'm going to go help Rick and the others out," she says over the MetaTron.

"Are you kidding me?" Jason responds, as Joanne starts taking off. 

"Yeah, don't split up," Sarah says bluntly, trying to convince Joanne to listen.

"Pretty sure the Super SAInts can take care of themselves," Jason adds, "They can fly."

Joanne stops momentarily but doesn't seem entirely convinced, until Strudel says, "Joanne, don't go all Billy on us!" That seems to do the trick. Joanne clearly isn't happy with the three of them, but she sticks around.

Sarah spots her brother inside one of the Robbies closest to them and orders him to fetch Bala and Lieke now that the simulation building is clear. Under Jason's advice, Sarah also sends a telepathic message to AK-47, asking her to direct Allen back to HQ so that the Twins can board the Mendicant.

Back at the cafeteria, Rick changes distance to get into FA range of the Archer, dodging its lasers. He aims several, precise shots at its power core and hits. The Locust self-detonates, and the students begin pouring out of the building, including Kazuhiro, Laurie, and Ryoko. Rick, Serena, and Opsie move across to Dr. Harris's office, leaving the military to escort the teenagers. 

Sarah, Strudel, Billy, and Joanne move across to the classrooms, where Stephanie is held up at and surrounded by two Soldiers, a horde of Swarm, and the military. "Target, fire," Jason says, as he stays by the simulation building and snipes one of the Soldiers. His particle beam shoots through the giant scorpion's tail and out the back of its head. As it explodes, Sarah engages the other Soldier at FA and immediately starts firing off her Giant Killer. The bullets hit, and she destroys the Locust before it can tear a big enough hole through the building for the Swarm to get in. They disperse. Some head to Dr. Harris's office, while others grab hold of military personnel and retreat to the Wormwood.

Suddenly, a Chopper shows up out of nowhere and begins firing lasers at the roof. Jason moves forward to take cover and reload his rifle, while Sarah says, "Shoo fly, don't bother me," and aims up while pulling the trigger. The Chopper explodes in mid-air, and chunks of metal debris crash onto the roof like hail. Strudel rushes forward to pry it off and free Stephanie, but Sarah appeals to his better judgement and warns him that he'll scare her more. Strudel agrees and opens the classroom building's front doors with his giant fingers and calls out to her. She runs out, and Strudel scoops her up into a hidden compartment within his SAInt, not trusting the military.

Prophets Take Flight Amidst Static Infiltration

Dr. Harris is stuck inside her office building which is under attack by two Brawlers at CQ, an Archer at HB, and two Bombers circling above at HB. The Bombers, like the Choppers, are aerial Locusts that are completely new and alien to the pilots. Shaped like giant, metal moths the size of stealth planes, they spiral in circles while firing deadly, concentrated beams of plasma energy down on their targets.  The ones over Dr. Harris's office aren't firing theirs just yet; they're suspiciously looming above.

Rick, Serena, and Opsie engage the Archer and fly up behind it. Rick menacingly draws his 'Arc Sword, stabs it through the back, and slices upward to split it in half. He then switches to his Levic Pistol and fires at both Brawlers with his team's assistance. The Locusts puncture a small hole through the building before they're destroyed.

Near the classrooms, Sarah and Jason's team turns back to target the Wormwood at the behest of AK-47, however a multitude of telepathic voices begins to overwhelm them, and the pilots grow fearful for a moment. It's a clear sign of MetaTron static⁴, the likes of which they experienced in New Alamo.

Rick is especially worried and tests his communication channels with Serena and Opsie. They're aware of the static, but the Prophets' telepathic link operates on a whole different level, and their conversations are crystal clear. 

"It's happening again, Rick," Serena says, "What do we do?"

"Don't worry about it," Rick responds, "We got through it last time, and we'll get through it this time too."

"Alright, I trust you," Serena replies nervously. Opsie is less worried and does her best to help calm Serena down.

Strudel and Joanne exhibit strange behavior, as they reply to private commands over the network, "Wait, what was that, Commander? The Robbies are turning? They're what? Frenzying? Wait, but-"

"Strudel, who are you talking to?" Jason asks.

"Commander Yamasuka is ordering us to come back to HQ and eliminate the frenzying Robbies," Strudel responds.

"I thought Robbies were just robots," Jason asks quizzically, "How can they be frenzying?"

"We don't know," Joanne and Strudel reply simultaneously, "The Commander says they're attacking civilians and military!"

Sarah and Jason look over across the Arx but don't see anything happening. They do see Raspberry and Miguel in their SAInts, leaving the hangar. They're both online.

"I think we should be watchful for them, but we shouldn't start shooting at every one," Sarah warns, "Especially since my brother's in one of them."

"But, but, these orders are coming straight from the Commander," Strudel protests.

"We can't trust the MetaTron right now," Sarah replies, "I believe the chain of command is the bayonet at the end of my gun. Seriously, though, I'm not hearing the orders and neither is Jason." Jason agrees.

While Strudel hesitates, wondering what to do, Joanne remains suspiciously silent. All of a sudden, she raises her L-XIV Ultima Rocket Launcher at Strudel and aims for the hidden compartment where Stephanie is located. 

Jason quickly raises his gun at her, but Sarah takes a more decisive action and rushes forward to restrain Joanne's SAInt.

"All pilots, be on high alert. We have frenzying SAInts," Commander Yamasuka's voice cuts through the static interference. She sounds far too calm given the situation, as though it isn't really her over the MetaTron.

Fragments of Joanne's voice breaks through the static, yelling, "It's not me! Can't control it!" Sarah curses under her breath.

"Joanne! What happened?" Rick yells through the MetaTron.

Sarah struggles to restrain Joanne, and Billy begrudgingly runs forward to help. Jason lowers his gun and follows suit. At the same time, Strudel points his Levic Flechette shotgun³, or "Stone Thrower," at Joanne, his arms shaking to resist. There's too much static on the MetaTron for the pilots to hear what's going on, but Sarah, Jason, and Billy successfully wrestle Joanne's arms up, and an explosive rocket shoots into the sky. Strudel lowers his gun and starts running to HQ. Joanne's SAInt, losing control, tries to break away.

"One of these days," Sarah says over the MetaTron, as the static dies down momentarily.

"Right to the moon," Jason replies.

"Yeah, right to the moon, so we can take them out," Sarah says.

To the west, the Bombers rain down their destructive, energy beams, blasting holes through the roof of Dr. Harris's office building. Rick and the others take cover to destroy the rest of the Swarm first. He tells Opsie to rescue Dr. Harris, while he and Serena and take on the two Bombers.

"I have your back, Rick," Serena says, and the siblings soar up to the sky, each one maneuvering to opposite sides of the Bombers to flank them. With both of Rick's 'Arc Swords drawn and Serena's LaNSe, the pilots zoom past one another and slice through both Bombers simultaneously. Their wings are rendered useless, and their energy weapons are cut off in the ensuing explosion which blazes like fireworks for all the other pilots to see.

Rick immediately turns and flies fast toward Joanne and the others.


Mayzor Hack In

AK-47's voice attempts to cut through the static as she says, "Struder, Hayes, Rodriguez, what are you all doing? Stop it! That's an order!" 

Rick hears what's happening and tries to communicate with the rogue SAInts himself, "Strudel, Raspberry, Miguel, what the hell are you doing?"

The MetaTron static grows louder and then dies down again. The Commander's calm voice comes through, paired with strange, maniacal giggling, "Hehehe, nah-uh, they're not going to listen to you! Not anymore, not anymore! Hehehe." She continues to give the rogue SAInts orders to attack the Robbies and military. She also commands them to target the Arx Jericho's weapon turrets which she claims have been hacked into and are targeting the rest of the ship.

The pilots of the frenzying SAInts attempt to send telepathic messages through the static, which is growing again, "We can't control this! Help!" Joanne is trying to communicate as well. 

"Joanne!" Rick calls out to her.

Meanwhile, AK-47's voice seems worried, and a voice that belongs to the real Commander calls out, "No! I didn't say that! Don't listen-" but the static is overwhelming. 

As Rick nears Sarah and Jason, he hears Dr. Johnson hailing him on a private channel.

To be concluded.

Source: http://www.freesound.org/data/displays/58/58410_215874_spec_L.jpg
I take no credit for this image.

End of Episode 12

---

Director Commentary

Here is the YouTube video of the Hangouts on Air recording,

¹ Bucket is the nickname given to the sensory deprivation tanks that contains the pilot when boarded inside their SAInt.

² Commander McGarry is a new extra I added to the game for this episode. I totally didn't steal the name after watching the West Wing in its entirety, nope!

³ In-game, we decided Strudel had two SMGs, but they weren't listed as weapons in the book, and I didn't feel like coming up with a name, so I changed it to a Levic Flechette for the AP write up.

⁴ Just to reiterate, MetaTron static doesn't sound like actual static, but as a bunch of telepathic voices interfering with regular communication. When a lot of them are talking, it may very well be called static.

I started drawing some original, comic book-style illustrations to include for this write-up, but they're a WIP at the moment. I'll go ahead and share what I have anyway, and I'll paste them inside the AP when they're finished. This is the scene where Sarah and Jason first fire at the two Locust Brawlers surrounding the male dormitory:

Cover Art for The Prophet - From Start to Finish

I have some awesome news and a WIP commission to share that's taken up my last three days of #dailycreative and will likely take up several more for sure.

+Damian Jankowski asked me if I could illustrate the cover art for his new DW playbook, The Prophet. Damian already has two excellent playbooks out for sale on DriveThruRPG called The Damned and The Cloak respectively. I didn't create the art for those playbooks, but I've been hired to work on The Prophet, and I'm really excited to be doing this piece!

Damian said he doesn't mind me sharing my WIPs, so I've been posting them on G+ as part of #dailycreative, and I wanted to share them again here.

Here are the first, preliminary thumbnails for the illustration. 

07.15.14

07.16.14

07.17.14

As soon as I get the green light on the final thumbnail/direction, I'm going to get started on the large, 8.5x11" piece for the final illustration. The thumbnails are still pretty rough, but I'll fix all the details and clean it up for the final. This is already proving to be a fun journey, and I'm thrilled to have been given a chance to work on this.

07.18.14

One reason I love posting WIPs on G+ as part of #dailycreative is that other artists can offer critique, insight, and helpful suggestions such as trying out an orange background to help make the violet colors stand out more. I may not always follow other people's advice, but if it helps me, I certainly will.

+Adrian Thoen has been extremely helpful on G+ and I thank him greatly for it. He's also been sharing some awesome artwork as part of his #dailycreative exercises and posting videos of his process on his YouTube channel.

Anyway, the final thumbnail has been greenlit, so I started sketching the large, 8.5 x 11" image out, but I really wasn't happy with the initial construction and composition.

07.21.14

I didn't get a chance to work on the piece over the weekend, but my sister was kind enough to pose as the Prophet so that I could take some reference photos with candlelight. Tonight, I redid the sketch from scratch, and I'm much happier with the result. I also added some really rough shadows to get a sense of the lighting. The next step is to clean the piece up, ink it, redo the shading, add color, and it should be done before the end of the week. I only have a few hours each day to work on it, but I seem to be getting more done in less time with each passing day. I definitely call that progress! More updates to come.

07.24.14

I didn't have much time to work on this the past few days, but I finally got most of the inking done tonight. Some elements still need work, and I'm working on redoing clean shading and highlights next, followed by some minimal color and adding the title bar in the end. I'm shooting to finish this piece by the end of the weekend.

I quickly added in the background, but I'll probably redo it as well. I'm including four versions here: one with the BG and energy lines, one with the BG and no energy lines, one without the BG but with energy lines, and one without the BG and without energy lines.

07.26.14

I've been watching YouTube videos by Jonathan Rector, whose art and workflow has really inspired me. I first found out about him after backing the PbtA superhero RPG, Worlds in Peril, since he's working on art for that game. 

Here, I took some workflow tips from Jonathan and started working on the shadows for this piece.

07.27.14

I continued working on the shadows with cross hatching for mid-tones, and I added some minimal color. Here are a few versions I did based on what was requested.

Damian was pretty happy, but he felt the background still distracted from the foreground, which I completely agreed with. He also felt that the piece was still lacking some energy and gave me a brilliant suggestion, so I took his advice and tried a lens blur effect with a Screen blending mode after darkening the background, reworking the hands, some of the hair, shadows, minute details, and adding a brighter candlelight coming out from under the card.

In the end, this is the final, completed piece, which I absolutely love. Damian's really happy with it too, and he's going to work on the layout for the rest of it (title bar, The Prophet title, illustration credits, etc.)

All in all, this has been an extremely fun and fairly challenging commission for not having worked on any commissions in a long while. I do need to work more on my speed and efficiency, but I've only been back into my art for a month now, and I learned a ton while making this piece which is what really matters.

Damian has been an awesome person to work with, and it's been a real pleasure creating this piece. I definitely look forward to doing more future commissions for him, whether it be DW playbooks or something else entirely, and I can't wait to see The Prophet playbook hit the digital shelves of DriveThruRPG in the near future!

If you play Dungeon World, and you're looking for some awesome playbooks, I highly suggest checking Damian's previous playbooks, The Damned and The Cloak. Both are on DriveThruRPG. http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=6935

You can also find Damian's playbooks on his website, Semi Dark Arts.

http://www.semidarkarts.com/