Current Threads:
Current Mission Signup Form:
Mission Signup Deadline: 12:00 noon Saturday PST
Vehicle Stats:
Compare & graph em' here (thanks gwwar)
Round 5 Upgrades & Junkyard Repairs
Hullo, guys, gals, and others. Mah name is Stretch. No, not Judge. Mah name is Stretch. To be specific, ah’m Stretch, v. 9.0.0.4.0.
I heard some sort a kind a rumor about the last Stretch y’all had doin’s with, and it seems to me that ya got the best a him. Far as ah’m concerned, y’all did a favor by everybody. Stretch v. 9.0.8.1.5 was a ornery kind a bastard, the kind wat didn’t care who some ever he was takin’ avantage a, so long as he got hisself a coupla more LPs. Y’all seem like a good crowd though, and not to be mucked about with. Betcha he was getting’ awful nervous ‘round about the time he realized what ya thought a him. Just about the end, I reckon he was feelin’ right about like a long-tailed cat in a room full a rockin’ chairs.
Anyhow, I ain’t nothin’ like him nohow, so I hope that we don’t have the same kinda issues like wat ya had with that feller.
Well, ‘nuff chit-chat. Here’s wat I got.
Ah’m sure that y’all are lookin’ for repairs, ‘fore all else. Well, I’ll do ya for cheap, as a token of my good faith. ‘Sides, I don’t wanna get kilt like that other bastard. Here’s the deal. It seems that most folks is all set gettin’ up to 75% repairs from private sector mechs, so I don’t suppose ah’ll hafta do so many of these repairs, but I’ll get ya up to 75% for 8 LP. I don’t care how much HP ya gotta make up to get there. After the parts kit, it’s just labor, and ah got all the time in the world, so I can afford to go some lower than the last bastard. When it comes to it, ya folks what got foreign cars, ah can getcha up to 100% for another LP per 2 HP. A whole buncha my Haynes manuals was stolen a while back, so the only manual I got fer domestic kind a cars is the ’03 Saab 9-3. Since that’s the case, and all a them ‘03 car computers was fried, I can’t bring domestic cars to 100%.
Ah got lots a hats. Well, I got lots a them, but only in a coupla few types. Here’s the choices. Ah got Dodgers hats, first a all, considerin’ that this was that baseball team’s territory back in the day. And then after them all, that biker gang what had the same name. ‘Sides them all, I got some Oakland Raiders and New England Bruins caps somewhere in the trunk. Hain’t got a clue why, but there they are. Anyhow, that ain’t here or there. So, those caps. They cost 2 LP fer each one, and the bonus y’all get out a it is somewheres around +5 MV, since it’ll keep the sun oughta your eyes and give you a little more reaction time. We also got a coupla fancy hats. Fer those a ya who's goin' to Beverly Hills, I gots a nice old stovepipe hat, but this is my last shipment, I suppose, so don't go an' lose 'em or nothin'. Those hats will give ya +2 SP, instead of +5 MV, 'cause the money you pay will speed your passage through life. Same price though. I got a few top hats left too, fer those of ya goin' to Mission 2. That oughta give you just enough of a disguise to slip by those zombies. 'Sides which, they'll give ya +2 AR, because of the intimidation factor. All of 'em cost the same.
One hat per customer!
I ain’t got most a my shipments in recently. Somethin’ must be up with Fleetwood’s distribution system. Huh. You guys ain’t had nothin’ to do with that, did ya? Tell, ya what, don’t answer that. So long as ya’ll don’t string me up, that’s enough fer me. The issue here is that since I ain’t got the parts, the only uprades I got fer ya is a buncha old guns in the back, which I suppose I could sell fer 10 LP for a 15 FP automatic-targeting rifle. Iff’n ya can’t pay all that much, or you ain’t gotta increase yer FP, I also got some steel plates which’ll give ya +10 AR for 8 LP.
I got a buncha cans a Blue Dog back in the storage unit. They're good shit, and they'll give you a +3 SP bonus for one turn, but you'll crash after that caffeine high. I gotta pay around 18 LP for a case of 30, but I'll sell them to y'all fer 1 LP per can. I know I'm takin' a loss, but you folks done scared me with what y'all did to the rusty old bastard, so I'll let 'em go way below MSRP.
Sorry I cain’t offer ya more choices, but like I said, the parts I need hain’t come in in no where near enough amount to be able to give y’all some good ‘nuff upgrades. If ya want to order something, either reply to this post directly, or use the submission sheet. The submission sheet is preferable, but ah’ll poke through the replies to my message as well.
Round 5 Missions & Story
The smoke has finally dissipated above the shattered ruins of the Citadel, which gleam like broken teeth underneath the full moon. Nothing stirs but a few monstrous mutated rats who feast upon the spilled leavings beneath the catering tables, until a single bite of the chili seizes up their limbs and they expire in squeaking agony.
The lower levels of the old tire factory are still largely intact. Down there are lightless vaults, unviewed by human eyes for most of a decade, where Fleetwood's stoutest cybernetic assistants were charged with storing many of his rarest and most precious prizes. There lies, undisturbed, untold plunder that Fleetwood amassed throughout his ascendancy to power, much of which he no longer remembers he possesses.
But there's a good reason it's still down there after all this time, and a good reason why he doesn't see fit to remove it.
The Citadel itself has long been rumored haunted by the unquiet shades of its long-dead builders, men who labored in torment and perished in darkness to build an Assyrian palace in Los Angeles to flatter the ego of a megalomaniacal rubber tycoon. The ghosts cause little trouble on the upper, aboveground levels of the Citadel, so Fleetwood didn't believe in their existence, and in fact thought it a clever plan to hide his valuables down in the basement, since the mere reputation of the specters' fury could serve as a cheap deterrent to thievery.
A late night visit downstairs to gloat over his vintage Air Jordan collection soon disabused him of his casual attitude toward the spirits. He won't talk about what happened, but hasn't since displayed any urge to retrieve anything from the catacombs underneath the factory floor. At the moment, Fleetwood appears to have abandoned the Citadel completely, though it must be killing him to leave such a trove behind.
We need a few things from down there. First of all, he's got gas. One hundred 55-gallon drums, all treated with Extended-Duty STA-BIL fuel stabilizer, so your engines will run better than they have in the last ten years. But there's much more down there. Not just weapons and armor, but things we could actually use on Mars. Paranoid asshole he may be, but Fleetwood is an utterly first-class packrat.
But I'm not about to go down into the Citadel's catacombs, nor will I send any of you down there, without having something to deal with the restless dead. And I know just the guy to enlist.
Some of you will have to join me as I drive out to the Westside to pick up my old pal Billy. He and his brother Brian have a thing or two we could use to help us infiltrate the Citadel. Last I heard, however, they were holed up in Billy's house, surrounded by zombies and dug in for a very long siege. If we can extricate them, I think they'll be inclined to help us.
I also want to approach an old friend who usually haunts the Roxy over on Sunset. Don't let his appearance frighten you. In fact, he was dead and zombified years before it became cool in that neighborhood, but his system was so pickled before the zombification process begun that nobody really noticed the difference, least of all him.
There's some vital astrogational data we'll need for the Mars trip, and Stark's copy was destroyed aboard his Helicarrier. Two archival copies exist. Well, technically, three copies exist, but one of those happens to be an inconvenient distance away:
There's a copy at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, and another underneath the site of the old Tower Records on Sunset. The Sunset Strip is fairly overrun with rock-and-roll zombies, which not only move faster and hit harder than your garden-variety Deadites, but are also capable of driving cars. And wait until you see what they drive:
Their concentration is pretty easily broken, however, if you play the right kind of music at suitably earsplitting volume, for the only thing they love more than driving fast and eating the brains of the living is rocking out hard to the tunes of their misspent lives.
There are many more Rock Zombies on the Strip near Tower, so it might seem that Amoeba Records would be a safer target, but... well, Amoeba's got problems of its own.
Yep, that's The Blob. Impervious to all physical attacks (you'll remember they resorted to freezing it and shipping it off to the Arctic in 1958), you're gonna have to use your noodle here.
Ask Lemmy for help, and he might be able to offer guidance or moral support. Or at least a killer bass line.
A third destination will be Dodger Stadium. We're in dire need of gas, since there's no guarantee at all we'll be able to access the barrels in the Citadel's basement, so if anyone wants or needs a no-brainer mission, they can take a siphon hose and as many gas cans as they can carry to the stadium parking lot and start suckin'. See how many gallons you can collect before you draw unwanted attention to yourself, and see how many gallons you can avoid spilling on your headlong flight back to the convoy!
But there's another reason to hit the stadium. The parking lot is full because the bombs fell in the middle of a ballgame. The 50,000 shambling skeletons therein are radioactive bat-wielding ghouls (since Chelsea happened to start her Little War on Fan Appreciation Bat Night), and one of them carries something of interest. Stark's aide-de-camp, Ms. Potts, was in attendance, seated in the Stark Industries luxury box, passed out after a regrettable overindulgence in Dodger Dogs and Blue Moon beer.
So anyway, she missed Stark's frantic texts to hurry back to the Helicarrier, the bombs are on the way, where the hell areya? And in her jeans pocket, her shambling corpse carries the key to the Ark's glovebox, wherein lies the emergency release handle to the galley door. It'll be a long, hungry flight to Mars if we can't get the galley open, with nary a Dodger Dog between us. So duck that bat and grab that key. The radioactive ghouls are sensitive to nonradioactive people, so if any of you happen to have been irradiated at some point, that would confer a distinct advantage.
Oh, look. There's the East L.A. branch of Fleetwood MacChanics. With the TCB connection to the home office down, maybe they haven't heard that we're personae non grata to Fleetwood. With any luck, they'll do business with us.
Anyone got plates to spend?
Mission One: Who You Gonna Call?
Penetrate the zombie hordes of the Westside and rescue Billy and Brian from their besieged home. Bring them back to the Ark to see if they can help infiltrate the Haunted Citadel.
Mission Costs: Gas. Round Trip, 40 miles. Scouts will use 1 gallon, Escorts 2 gallons, Mules and Mechanics 4 gallons. Also, you'll need a new hat. Hats are de rigueur on the Westside this season. Cop a classy chapeau at Fleetwood MacChanics to improve your odds of success.
Risks: A few hundred zombies, as well as a couple of Raiders per Driver. Weirdly, these Westsiders are still smitten with fame, even after all they've been through, and word of your exploits has reached them. Those of you with high MaxHP will attract... well, autograph seekers. And they're likely to want more than an autograph. The less-fabled among you may have an easier time sneaking through the rabble.
Mission Two: Overnight Sensation
2A: Overkill (Tower Sunset)
2B: Killed By Death (Amoeba Records)
Find Lemmy at the Roxy. Tell him your preference as to which record store you want to hit to obtain the Voyager record. Dice roll determines whether he helps you or throws you to the wolves. High EN will help your chances (he appreciates a competent engineer), and sufficiently high LK might help you roll the Ace of Spades: he packs up his Rickenbacker bass and rides shotgun in your vehicle, adding +8FP and +6LK though cutting your fuel economy in half and annoying Mechanics to the point where they can only fix up to 50% of your MaxHP on the next Repair visit (junkyard mechanics unaffected).
Mission Costs: Gas. Round Trip, 40 miles. Scouts will use 1 gallon, Escorts 2 gallons, Mules and Mechanics 4 gallons. Also, you'll need a new hat. Hats are de rigueur on the Westside this season. Cop a classy chapeau at Fleetwood MacChanics to improve your odds of success.
2A Risks: Rock and Roll Zombies. They drink, they drive, they drink some more, they hunger for human flesh, but they can't resist stopping to headbang their fool skulls off if the right song is played. They also appreciate style and flair. Doll up your ride to match the vibe of the Strip circa 1982, and you'll earn their grudging respect and admiration. Just watch out for the groupies. That's not lipstick stuck to their teeth.
2B Risks: The Blob. It creeps and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor, right through the door, and all around the wall, a splotch, a blotch, be careful of the Blob. Beware of the Blob! This is a fairly indeterminate risk, after all, what does one do with a Blob? Maybe try reasoning with it. Offer to trade the Voyager record for a particularly favorite Burt Bacharach single. Intimidate it into retreating by posting a 10-second video of you singing the climax of "Let it Go" from the Frozen soundtrack, since we know the cold does bother it anyway. The most creative and obviously-successful solution posted will win the record and a 10LP bonus. Particularly lame solutions will be clobbered with Blobby's high FP Absorption/Assimilation Attack.
Mission Three: Put Me In, Coach!
Infiltrate Dodger Stadium, duck the bats of the Irradiated Ghouls, and retrieve the Key from Ms. Potts' pocket.
Mission Costs: Gas. Round Trip, 20 miles. Scouts will use 0.5 gallon, Escorts 1 gallons, Mules and Mechanics 2 gallons. Also, you should consider a new hat. Hats are not necessary on this side of town, but displaying your team loyalties may help you out once inside the ballpark. Cop a classy chapeau at Fleetwood MacChanics to improve your odds of success.
Risks: About 50,000 Irradiated Ghouls, though you'll only encounter the ones in your section if you move fast (probably a couple dozen). High SP and/or LK will help. There are also 18 Irradiated Ballplayer Ghouls, who are naturally much harder hitters with their bats. One or two may end up in your section. If you yourself happen to be radioactive, people won't even notice you unless Ms. Potts makes a squawk when you try to swipe her key.
Mission Four: The Fuel on the Hill
Siphon as much gas as you can from the derelict cars in the stadium parking lot. You common hoodlum, you.
Mission Costs: Effectively nothing, since you'll gas up to the brim upon your return, and maybe have surplus fuel to sell as well. If you return.
Risks: Irradiated Parking Lot Security. They're slow and brittle, but dedicated.
Check your shopping, upgrade, and repair options above at Fleetwood MacChanics!
Once you have all your shit tucked in and ready to roll, the Round Five Entry Form is here.
Round 4 Missions & Story
As the noon hour approaches and the Ark crawls ever northward, a broad-spectrum blast comes over the TCB:
Well now. Sally Kruger, as I live and breathe. Hello, darlin’! It’s been too long.
I got to wonder, what in hell is goin’ on in that mind of yours? Have you checked into the cracker factory and lost your shit completely? Now I don’t mean to wax all profane on you, ‘specially not here in the middle of the street where ever’one can see and start judgin’. But I confess myself shocked beyond my ability to hold my tongue any further. We go way back, you an’ me. When you was nothin’ more than a slip of a girl learnin’ to wrench at her mama’s knee, and I was still workin’ out of my original location on South Central Avenue at 91st, I could see you had potential. You ran a number of little errands for me while you was still in school, as I recall. We got a history we share, Sally girl, and when I think about what your mama might say if she heard the latest news…
My head knows it’s only money. That Huntington Beach scrapyard was just one out of a dozen locations I built with my own two hands over the years. It was big and profitable, but losing it don’t set me back none. I got more business comin’ my way than a dozen of me could want or need. What I got is like a license to stamp license plates, and I don’t need no incarcerated employees to run it, neither.
No, it ain’t the money, sweet Sally. It’s the knife you twist in my back. I practically raised you, taught you near everything you know about cars and people and how to get what you want outta both, and this is how you repay me? You have your gang of fanatical Mechanic thugs knock over my junkyard, blow up my branch manager and his goddamned dog, and steal all the inventory… and drive on up the road at one mile per hour like you thought it didn’t matter one bit if I even noticed?!
Sally, I’m a reasonable man. If anyone else had masterminded this unbelievable collection of criminal acts, they’d have been smoking corpses ten minutes after Stretch’s dog went offline. But I know you. I’ve known you nearly all your life, and I don’t believe you would be plumb foolish enough to do something like this unless you felt you had one awfully compelling reason.
So listen: I want us to understand each other again. The Sally Kruger whose PB&Js I used to cut the crusts off for, she done growed up into somebody called Cougar. A force to be reckoned with, say those who keep on top of such things. But the Uncle Freddy who used to cut the crusts off your sammiches? He’s Fleetwood now. A force to be feared, a force to be avoided, a force to stay off the bad side of, says everyone.
You will come see me at my new office in Commerce. Right up the road from where you are, ain’t even outta your way, you can’t miss it. You will come see me, and tell me what you’re up to. Before sundown.
Every gun barrel, grenade launcher, heavy rock, and sharpened stick in the Basin is pointed at you right now. You come see me, we’ll see if you can’t make this right.
Latest Mission Selection & Intel
Note: this is a restatement of the Mission choices with quite a bit of revision and additional info based on fresh intel. And stuff.
Okay guys, we're just about ready to respond to Fleetwood's challenge. We can't afford to ignore him out here in the open. He's much better supplied than we are, and much more mobile since we can't afford to abandon the Ark. I have to go talk with him at the Citadel and I need some of you to come with me. He and his people are impressed by physical prowess, so we got some showing off to do. Also, we might be able to get away with some interesting high-value stuff... assuming we can get away at all.
To review: I expect our "audience" as he'll call it to take place in his "Main Audience Chamber." It's just the factory floor with the machinery ripped out and a dancefloor and a few other attractions installed. He'll be trying to intimidate and demoralize us through an overwhelming show of force, and we'll be doing the same. There will be contests of strength, speed, and skill. All so very macho, Junior, you should love it. But there will be more for us to do in order to survive this encounter.
First of all, I need Mechanics to hack Stretch’s severed head. Stretch will know as much about Fleetwood’s operation as Fleetwood does. In order for my mission at the Citadel to succeed, I need to know of any weaknesses that fortress might possess. Just in case that info happened to not be locked down, I asked the head ten minutes ago what the Citadel's weak points might be.
The head buzzed, sparked, smoked a bit, and spit out four corrupted, incomplete pictures. Blazer thought they might be random errors, but I think I recognize what happened. These pictures are clues, and one of Stretch's authorized employees would recognize those pictures and figure out what they mean.Jane, take these pictures to the Scouts and see if they recognize any of the locations. I have no doubt that key information can be found at these locations, if we can only figure out where they are. They'll need to travel fast.
The Mechanics will need to hack the head and see if they can extract more information. Whatever they find should be forwarded to the correct people. Citadel weaknesses should be sent to me and everyone on Mission One (labeled properly, those posts can go here in this thread). Location data should be forwarded to the Scouts so they don't drive all over creation trying to figure out where those pictures are from and what missing info they're supposed to contain.
In the meantime, we've been directly threatened by the Toecutter. This threat was not expected, and so we're going to raise the pay for those who choose to stay with the Ark to protect it and the Mechanics during their hack. As part of his security suite, Stretch's model line came equipped with a force-field generator with a large enough radius to provide pretty good protection for the Mule Train and the Ark itself. But the effect is temporary, and difficult to engage through hacking. You guys will have to slug it out with Toecutter if he and his goons arrive before the mechanics are done hacking.
Mission One: The Citadel
This is a multimedia show of force. Mules will engage in a tractor-pull against the heaviest haulers Fleetwood’s fleet has to offer. Likewise, Escorts will be shooting skeet against high-FP opponents, and Scouts will be running another minefield autocross against Fleetwood’s fleetest drivers. All in good fun, and just as deadly as ever, since Fleetwood puts the “fun” in “funeral.” Fleetwood will speak to each of you, and ask you to tell him what, exactly, you think ol’ Cougar is up to. I hope you will answer in a way that satisfies him, for all our sakes. If all goes well, our Mechanics will send us intel about the weak points in the Citadel, which we will exploit to make our escape, in the likely event that Fleetwood seems reluctant to end the party. Mules: bring a stout tow hook. Walls will probably have to come down.
Mission Two: Hack The Head
This is back at the Ark, and is a twofold mission. Select one of two roles:
2A: As a Mechanic, apply your EN skill to finding out any info you can from Stretch's head. Once the Mission entry form is posted, follow the instructions for hacking. Janewill coordinate this effort with the other Missions; keep in touch with her. If you gain access to encrypted information, do your best to solve the puzzle, and transmit any location info you access to the Scouts on Mission Three. If they find data for you, they will send it to you so you can enter it into Stretch's head and see what happens. If you discover intel about the Citadel's weakness, transmit that info to Cougar and the Mission One gang.
2B: While the Mechanics are hacking in the Mule Train, the Ark will need to keep moving, even if it comes under attack. Anyone accepting Mission 2B (or taking it by default by not choosing another Mission) will be simultaneously pulling the Ark and defending it from attack. You will be afforded extra protection if the Mechanics manage to engage Stretch's force field, but until then it'll be a slugfest between you and half a dozen of Toecutter's finest. Keep Raiders from approaching the Marion crawler too closely. On no account will anyone be allowed to board Marion; shoot to kill anyone who makes the attempt. This is a fairly tough, unglamorous mission, but if we all get through in reasonably good shape (or enough of us do, at any rate), we'll make it worth your while.
Mission Three: The Cipher Scout
Buff up your SP, MV, FP, and AR and get moving. Depending on the route you choose, a few Raiders may be coming your way, or some zombies might give you a chew. While you run & gun against them, you’ll be waiting for a location to be sent you by one or more of the Mechanics. You’ll haul ass to that location and will discover what is hidden there. You will transmit that information back to the Mechanics so that they may decipher it and forward the intel along to the Mission One gang. They may have multiple locations to send you, so stay agile, and watch out for zombies! As with Mission 2B, Jane will be coordinating these communiques, so stay in touch with her!
Mission Costs:
Gas. Mission One is 20 miles round trip. ½ gallon for Scouts, 1 gallon for Escorts, 2 gallons for Mules and Mechanics. Mission Two (both varieties) uses no gas (SHITGO only). Mission Three is 40 miles round trip. 1 gallon for Scouts, 2 gallons for Escorts, 4 gallons for Mules and Mechanics.
Risks:
Mission One: tractor pull for Mules, stray bullets for Escorts, mines for Scouts, and everybody out to get you when we try to escape.
Mission Two-A: various hacking dangers like electric shock. Mild danger from Toecutter's gang, increases if hacking takes too long.
Mission Two-B: Six Raiders. Your SP and MV don't help you at all, since you're chained to the Ark so you'll have to buff up your FP and AR and hope the Mechanics hack fast.
Mission Three: A couple Raiders or a fairly sizable handful of zombies in some neighborhoods.
Payroll:
All Missions pay 20LP. Extra danger and/or extra valor will be rewarded commensurate with the badassery involved. Take a risk now and then!
Mission Signup Deadline: 12:00 noon Saturday PST (35 hours from now!)
Original Mission Info
That bastard Fleetwood has forced my hand. I was hoping to avoid this confrontation until after we’d gotten past Hollywood at least, but I didn’t expect you guys to blow up his dog. Fleetwood’s junkyard dogs are his communication pipeline to the branch offices, and I was planning on hacking Fido to keep sending false data to Fleetwood, since he doesn’t get out and about much anymore. So much for that plan. The odds were four-to-one that Fido would deactivate Stretch without blowing both of them up, but it seems we didn’t win that roll of the dice.
We can't afford to ignore him now. We need to put on a show of force at Fleetwood’s HQ. He’s moved his base of operations from Watts to the old Samson Tire Factory Citadel in what used to be the City of Commerce. It’s a virtually impregnable fortress, and we’ll have to be very careful. He’ll let us in with no trouble at all, but I’m not confident it’ll be all that easy to get out again. The vibe inside his HQ is... well, kinda trippy. There have always been rumors that the Citadel is haunted, dating back to when it was just an imposing-looking tire factory built to resemble an Abyssinian palace, but Fleetwood embraced the legend the moment he moved in. Say what you want about the man, he has a flair for the dramatic.
I expect our "audience" as he'll call it to take place in his "Main Audience Chamber." It's just the factory floor with the machinery ripped out and a dancefloor installed (as well as a fighting ring), so don't start getting all impressed. He'll be trying to intimidate and demoralize us through an overwhelming show of force, and we'll be doing the same. There will be contests of strength, speed, and skill. All so very macho, Junior, you should love it. But there will be more for us to do in order to survive this encounter.
I have jobs for all Classes and specializations. I need Mechanics to hack Stretch’s head without tripping its self-destruct (kind of a miracle Fido didn’t set that one off too). Stretch will know as much about Fleetwood’s operation as Fleetwood does; his decentralized redundant systems are both his strength and his weakness. His paranoia serves us well in this case. These hacking Mechanics can start right away, but there will come a point where they’ll need a particular bit of information. There’s a cipher key they’ll need which is located in a secret place, hidden in a way that you’ll never find it without knowing where to look. It won’t be too far away, but neither will it be right next door, so I’ll need our fastest Scouts to find and retrieve it. Fleetwood wasn’t lying when he said we had guns pointed at us, so we should send Escorts with the Scouts, leave some here with the Ark, and bring some to the Citadel.
Mules, press your tuxes and spritz your toilet water. We’ll need a couple of you at the Citadel.
Mission One: The Citadel
This is a multimedia show of force. Mules will engage in a tractor-pull against the heaviest haulers Fleetwood’s fleet has to offer. Likewise, Escorts will be shooting skeet against high-FP opponents, and Scouts will be running another minefield autocross against Fleetwood’s fleetest drivers. All in good fun, and just as deadly as ever, since Fleetwood puts the “fun” in “funeral.” Fleetwood will speak to each of you, and ask you to tell him what, exactly, you think ol’ Cougar is up to. I hope you will answer in a way that satisfies him, for all our sakes. If all goes well, our Mechanics will send us intel about the weak points in the Citadel, which we will exploit to make our escape, in the likely event that Fleetwood seems reluctant to end the party. Mules: bring a stout tow hook. Walls will probably have to come down.
Mission Two: Hack The Head
This is back at the Ark, and is a twofold mission. Select one of two roles:
2A: As a Mechanic, apply your EN skill to finding out where the cipher key is located. High EN will minimize the number of attempts it takes to extract the location from Stretch’s head. (As usual, failed attempts will hurt.) Transmit that location to the Scouts on Mission Three and wait for a response. When (if) a cipher key is transmitted back, utilize that cipher key to discover where the weak points are in the Citadel. Transmit that information to the Drivers on Mission One.
2B: While the Mechanics are hacking in the Mule Train, the Ark will need to keep moving, even if it comes under attack. Anyone accepting Mission 2B (or taking it by default by not choosing another Mission) will be simultaneously pulling the Ark and defending it from attack. You will be given additional FP and AR for this Mission, but it will be a slugfest. The more people who defend the Ark, the better the chances for survival for those who are there. On no account will anyone be allowed to board Marion; shoot to kill anyone who makes the attempt.
Mission Three: The Cipher Scout
Buff up your SP, MV, FP, and AR and get moving. Raiders will be coming your way: the speedy Montebello Murderers and the heavily-armed Skids, some of them on Fleetwood’s payroll, will be put out that you’ve invaded their turf. While you run & gun against them, you’ll be waiting for a location to be sent you by one or more of the Mechanics. You’ll haul ass to that location and will discover what is hidden there. You will transmit that information back to the Mechanics so that they may decipher it and forward the intel along to the Mission One gang.
Mission Costs:
Gas.
Mission One is 20 miles round trip. ½ gallon for Scouts, 1 gallon for Escorts, 2 gallons for Mules and Mechanics.
Mission Two (both varieties) uses no gas (SHITGO only).
Mission Three is 40 miles round trip. 1 gallon for Scouts, 2 gallons for Escorts, 4 gallons for Mules and Mechanics.
Risks:
Payroll:
Mission 2B pays 10LP, all others pay 20LP.
Salvage and loot is confirmed to exist, but specifics unknown at this time. Jane thinks there’s quite a lot of weaponry in the Citadel (in addition to what’s visible in her sketch above).