Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Far Traders: GM

htech

Feb 2, 2024 12:09 pm

OOC:

This is a solo thread with Douklan

Trade Era 1235, Day 137

The Sentinel, somewhere in the Main Belt, Draco system
Lieutenant Douklan Paravides stood on the bridge of the Sentinel, the hum of the frigate's systems a familiar echo in his ears. The ship sailed through the vastness of the Draco system's main asteroid belt, a labyrinth of celestial debris.

The starship A09, from the ITC Bureau of Investigation, flanked the Sentinel, their combined efforts focused on scanning the expansive field for any signs of the terrorists who had taken ITC Postal Authority personnel hostage on Nocturna.

The urgency of the mission gripped the bridge as the tension built with the passing days.

Captain Rael, a seasoned leader with a steely resolve, monitored the scanners alongside Lieutenant Paravides and her crew. The green display flickered with data from the ongoing scan, each blip a potential clue soon discarded as nothing but rocks.

"Captain," called out the Sensors officer, his eyes fixed on the readings. "I'm detecting three small ships incoming from Draco I direction."

Captain Rael's gaze intensified as she studied the readings. "A09, this is Captain Rael of the Sentinel. We've detected incoming vessels from Draco I. Maintain your position and be prepared for possible hostiles."

The response from Alex crackled through the communication system. "Acknowledged, Sentinel. We're standing by."

As the minutes ticked away, the bridge remained hushed, the only sounds the hum of the ship's systems and the distant clatter of small debris against the hull. The three incoming blips on the scanner grew more defined, their trajectories hinting at purposeful movement.

Captain Rael, her eyes fixed on the scanner, leaned forward in her command chair. With a decisive tone, she issued orders to Lieutenant Paravides.

"Lieutenant Paravides, move the Sentinel closer to those ships. We need a clearer picture of their intentions before deciding our next move."

OOC:

Gimme a Piloting check, DC15, as your opening move

Douklan Paravides (first)

spaceseeker19

Feb 6, 2024 4:34 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Douklan's hands danced across the panels, flipping switches with loud *clacks*, turning knobs, and adjusting levers to adjust fuel intakes for each of the different thrusters and adjust the exhaust apertures.

Rolls

Piloting (DC0 +4 skill, 15 difficulty) - (1d20-11)

(13) - 11 = 2

Far Traders: GM

htech

Feb 13, 2024 12:09 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Lieutenant Paravides maneuver put the ship above the solar orbital plane while he exchanged a tense glance with Captain Rael.

The trio of incoming vessels drew nearer. Sensors determined that they were a modified patrol boat escorted by 2 standard drill-capable fighter craft. His hand hovered over the controls, ready to spring into action at the first sign of aggression.

"Open a channel to those ships," Captain Rael commanded, her voice steady but edged with authority.

The Comms officer quickly complied, his fingers dancing over the communications console. "Channel open, Captain."

"This is Captain Rael of the Sentinel, ITC Navy, " she began, her tone firm and commanding. "Identify yourselves and state your intentions."

There was a moment of static before a voice crackled over the comm. "This is Commander Thalos of the Draco Separatist Fleet. We demand that you vacate this region immediately. You are trespassing on territory claimed by the Democratic Republic of Draco, rightfully representing the people of Draco I against the current authoritarian regime. We have a populated starbase nearby, so, by ITC law and customs, it is our territory."

Captain Rael's jaw tightened at the defiant tone. She exchanged a meaningful look with Lieutenant Paravides before responding. "Commander Thalos, this is interplanetary space and ITC territory. We have a mission to fulfill, and we will not be intimidated by separatist threats. Stand down and return the ITC personnel from Nocturna."

There was a tense pause before Thalos replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "You leave us no choice. Prepare to be boarded if you do not comply."

OOC:

What do you do? Just stay alert and ready for combat? Anything special / unusual?

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Feb 28, 2024 8:15 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Douklan bristles at the thought of these locals trying to order the ITC around. Then he considers their tactical situation, and the legal standing of Separatist forces in ITC eyes, as he prepares physically and mentally for combat.

::Is there a starbase nearby?
Is the Captain likely to consider this a legitimate claim to sovereignty?
How serious a threat are these three vehicles to the Sentinel and the A09?::

OOC:

I also have an out-of-character question: "drill capable" refers to the Stars Without Number concept of FTL travel, correct? Not that the fighter craft have physical drills mounted on them for tearing into ship hulls?

Finally, I'll update to this to an in-character post when the new Douklan sheet is approved.

Last edited February 28, 2024 8:17 pm

htech

Feb 28, 2024 11:34 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Yeah, FLT capable. Someday, in some other game, I may use the other meaning, though.

Seems interesting.... =D

Quote:

Finally, I'll update to this to an in-character post when the new Douklan sheet is approved.

Character sheet approved.

htech

Feb 29, 2024 11:45 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

This is a call for Space Combat volunteers.

Rules for space combat is in the rulebook, page 114.

Lt. Paravides is in the bridge and spaceseeker19 has 'dibs' in another department, if he wants to play with more than one. Otherwise, players are welcome to join us by (temporarily, just during combat) controlling the following NPCs and departments:
Gunnery - Lt. Jr. Fu Chen
Engineering - Lt. Katlina Komarov
Comms - Ensign Alonso Carderas

And/or the following gunners:
Plasma Beam 1 - Lt. Jr. Fu Chen
Plasma Beam 2 - Specialist 2 Iago Valverde
Sandthrower - Specialist 1 Micah Logan

PS: Gunners just roll the d20, and when the Gunnery head asks them to, by spending some Command Points. They're usually not that relevant in PbP.

PhoenixScientist

Feb 29, 2024 9:56 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

htech says:

OOC:

This is a call for Space Combat volunteers.

OOC:

I volunteer

Quote:

OOC:

Rules for space combat is in the rulebook, page 114.

Lt. Paravides is in the bridge and spaceseeker19 has 'dibs' in another department, if he wants to play with more than one. Otherwise, players are welcome to join us by (temporarily, just during combat) controlling the following NPCs and departments:
Gunnery - Lt. Jr. Fu Chen
Engineering - Lt. Katlina Komarov
Comms - Ensign Alonso Carderas

And/or the following gunners:
Plasma Beam 1 - Lt. Jr. Fu Chen
Plasma Beam 2 - Specialist 2 Iago Valverde
Sandthrower - Specialist 1 Micah Logan

PS: Gunners just roll the d20, and when the Gunnery head asks them to, by spending some Command Points. They're usually not that relevant in PbP.

OOC:

I'm interested in
Engineering - Lt. Katlina Komarov
And a gunnery.
Though would the Gunners just be rolled by the Gunnery Head ?

Last edited February 29, 2024 10:42 pm

daryen

Feb 29, 2024 11:00 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Not sure why Comms is called out, but I can work with Ens Carderas.

I can always roll a gunnery die, too. Maybe Spc Logan, as that's the weapon we're looking to initially get.

htech

Feb 29, 2024 11:29 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

I'm interested in
Engineering - Lt. Katlina Komarov
And a gunnery.

Great. You will get Lt. Komarov and Spc. Valverde, then.

Quote:

Though would the Gunners just be rolled by the Gunnery Head ?

The Gunnery head allows the gunner to shoot and gives him the order on how/where/when to do so, by spending the Command Points. But the actual 1d20 roll, the attribute modifier and the Shoot skill level is from the gunner, not the head. Moreover, a given gunner can man only one gun a round. That's why there are 3 different people there. Sometimes we may give all the NPC gunners to be controled by the player with the Gunnery head. Not this battle, though, as I want as many players as possible in this thread.

Quote:

Not sure why Comms is called out, but I can work with Ens Carderas.

The comms department doesn’t just handle inter-ship communications, but it also manages sensors, electronic warfare, and combat hacking duties. Their crew can baffle enemy targeting attempts, fool hostile sensors, and choke enemy computers with ECM.

By the way, that's Hank's department if the Celestial ever gets in combat. Program is the usual skill needed.

daryen

Feb 29, 2024 11:58 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

htech says:

The comms department doesn’t just handle inter-ship communications, but it also manages sensors, electronic warfare, and combat hacking duties. Their crew can baffle enemy targeting attempts, fool hostile sensors, and choke enemy computers with ECM.

By the way, that's Hank's department if the Celestial ever gets in combat. Program is the usual skill needed.

Oh, then that's perfect, then!

spaceseeker19

Mar 1, 2024 8:21 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

If no one else wishes to jump in, I can take Lt. Jr. Fu Chen as well..

PhoenixScientist

Mar 1, 2024 9:15 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Bridge	Lt. Paravides	spaceseeker19
Gunnery	Lt. Jr. Fu Chen	Spaceseeker
Engineering	Lt. Katlina Komarov	PhoenixScientist
Comms	Ensign Alonso Carderas	Daryen
Plasma Beam 1	Lt. Jr. Fu Chen	Spaceseeker
Plasma Beam 2	Specialist 2 Iago Valverde	Arthur12320
Sandthrower	Specialist 1 Micah Logan	Daryen

OOC:

Does that look right so far?
I am interested in taking another, but want everyone to get a shot at choosing something.

Last edited March 1, 2024 11:25 pm

daryen

Mar 1, 2024 10:31 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

The first question mark is also spaceseeker19 as Lt Fu Chen is listed twice.

arthur12320

Mar 1, 2024 11:09 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Is there still time to get the last one left?

PhoenixScientist

Mar 1, 2024 11:24 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

arthur12320 says:

OOC:

Is there still time to get the last one left?

OOC:

Of course, it was left open for you. I will update my table.

daryen

Mar 1, 2024 11:27 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

@arthur12320, Yes! Spec. Valverde needs some love!

@PhoenixScientist, go ahead and take Spec Logan if you want. I'm good with Ens Carderas.

arthur12320

Mar 1, 2024 11:29 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Great, they already have character sheets or just names?

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 1, 2024 11:43 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

The tension on the bridge of the Sentinel intensified as the separatist vessels continued their approach. Lieutenant Paravides exchanged a quick glance with Captain Rael, silently communicating their readiness for whatever might transpire.

OOC:

All right, let's begin. Douklan, you are the pilot, so roll initiative for the Sentinel. 1d8+2 due to your Intelligence bonus

Below is the results for the NPCs.

Rolls

Patrol boat - (1d8+1)

(7) + 1 = 8

Fighter 1 - (1d8)

(8) = 8

Fighter 2 - (1d8)

(1) = 1

Bureau shuttle - (1d8+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

htech

Mar 2, 2024 12:18 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

arthur12320 says:

Great, they already have character sheets or just names?

They won't have, just Douklan. They should be just names and personalities, you can create further details in your In Character posts.

I will tell you the dice to roll, depending on the chosen action. Most of the time, the NPC crew will roll 2d6+2 for skill checks

For attacks, Spec. Logan rolls 1d20+3 as he is more junior. The remaining gunners roll 1d20+4

daryen

Mar 2, 2024 12:32 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

For the record, is the Bureau shuttle armed or anything?

htech

Mar 2, 2024 12:35 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

daryen says:

For the record, is the Bureau shuttle armed or anything?

Not at all. Let's hope Alex survives this.

Weapons none, Armor none, Defenses none, HP 15.

daryen

Mar 2, 2024 12:47 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

htech says:

Not at all. Let's hope Alex survives this.

Weapons none, Armor none, Defenses none, HP 15.

Well, it was nice knowing Alex while he was around. Glad he turned out to be a good guy.

At least we now know why Slaine needs a ride ...

On a different perspective, how fast are rounds of space combat in SWN? Does he have time to dock with the Sentinel and abandon the shuttle before getting blasted? I know that's what I'd be trying to do. If not, maybe he can ram something and go out in a blaze of glory.

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 3, 2024 12:09 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

htech says:

OOC:

All right, let's begin. Douklan, you are the pilot, so roll initiative for the Sentinel. 1d8+2 due to your Intelligence bonus

Despite his readiness, Lt. Paravides is surprised at the speed with which the patrol boat and fighters move. He rushes to compensate.

Lt Jr. Fu Chen targets the fighter that moved first in initiative order with the gunnery roll for plasma beam 1 opens the comm to the other gunnery stations, telling them "Just like we've practiced, everyone. Take it slow and steady, and don't fire until you've really got them in your sights." (rolling CHR + Lead, which I figure is either 2d6+2 or 3, in an attempt to go Above and Beyond).

OOC:

Starting at 0, there's not really much to lose by gambling on the possibility of gaining 3.

But we will need to know STATS for these NPCs, so we know both bonuses and how many CP will be earned if we succeed on Above and Beyond checks.

Last edited March 5, 2024 4:18 am

Rolls

Initiative going into combat with Separatists - (1d8+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Lt. Jr. Fu Chen gunnery roll - (1d20+4)

(10) + 4 = 14

Lt. Jr. Fu Chen Above and Beyond DC9 - (2d6+2)

(11) + 2 = 4

daryen

Mar 3, 2024 12:33 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

After looking at the rulebook, assuming the two fighters and the patrol boat are bog standard, then Alex has a decent chance to actually live through this. The fighters' weapons are design to shoot at bigger targets, and the patrol boat needs to worry about the Sentinel. If the Sentinel does its job quickly enough, Alex might not even get fired on.

Last edited March 3, 2024 1:17 am

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 4, 2024 5:05 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Initiative ✅!

But space combat is a little bit different in terms of actions. Every PC ship has some Command Points (CP). Some actions generate CP, others consume CP. This is how the crew collaborates with each other. Your ship starts every round with 0 CP.

When I am playing IRL, the department order inside a ship is determined by the captain or commanding officer, one by one (ex: it's the pilot now, now it's the gunners, etc).

But we may have a house rule that however posts, as long as there is enough CP, acts. This way we are not blocked nor we need to guess how many CPs will be available when it's our department turn.

For gunnery actions, if the gunnery head lets someone fire a weapon it costs 2 CP. Letting everyone fire all weapons once costs 3 CP. With a multi-weapon starship like the Sentinel, the latter is usually better. Either way, you can't fire until someone generate that CP, as you can never have a negative CP. There are 2 common actions to generate CP:

- Above and Beyond: Push yourself to help the ship or its crew. Pick an attribute and skill check and explain how you’re using it to help the ship. If the GM agrees, roll it against difficulty 9. On a success, gain your skill level in Command Points plus one. On a failure, take -1 Command Point.

- Do Your Duty: The ship gains 1 Command Point. If invoked by a player, they must name
some plausible act the PC is doing to be useful, and can’t do the same act two rounds in a row.

For the complete list of actions, please refer to page 117.

I will ask you to redo that round spaceseeker19 (keeping the dice if it makes sense) so you can describe the action from that list (with its CP cost) and/or wait for other players to grant you enough CP. Everybody else can also play now as well, in whatever order you fancy.

In space combat, I will always write some tables at the end of my posts, to make it easier to follow what is happening in the current round.

As the Draco Separatist Fleet closed in, the first starfighter unleashed a torrent of charged particles from its Reaper Battery. Lt. Jr. Fu Chen watched intently as the particles streaked towards the shuttle, but he knew they posed little threat for now.

"Particles incoming, minimal threat," he reported, his voice calm as he saw the attack missing its mark.

Meanwhile, Commander Thalos, aboard the patrol boat, targeted the Sentinel's guns with a Plasma Beam, hoping to cripple the frigate and leave it vulnerable to their assault. But his shot missed its mark, much to his frustration.

"Plasma Beam off target, no damage," Ensign Carderas relayed, his fingers flying over the controls to keep track of the enemy's movements.

Undeterred, Commander Thalos adjusted his aim and fired again, this time striking the Sentinel's hull and causing minor damage.

"Hull breach detected, damage sustained," Lt. Katlina Komarov reported, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.

"Return fire. Let's show them what the Sentinel is made of!" - said the Captain.

Round 1

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 1	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 1	Fire weapon, target systems: A09 Engines	1	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Patrol Boat	NPC command points	5	-
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon + target systems: Sentinel's Plasma Gun 2	2	Miss
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon, target: Sentinel	0	Hit: 10 hull damage

Departments may act in any order:

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (Gunnery)	0	Next gunnery action costs -2 CP
The Sentinel	Bridge: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Gunnery: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Engineering: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Comms: To be defined	?

Waiting for their turn:

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 2	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 2	To be defined. Waiting for their turn

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	NPC command points	4	-
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	Escape Combat	0	To be defined. Waiting for their turn

Rolls

Strike Fighter 1 - Attack engines (clumsy vs shuttle) - (1d20-4)

(7) - 4 = 3

Patrol boat - Attack Sentinel's Plasma Gun - (1d20)

(11) = 11

Patrol boat - Attack the Sentinel - (1d20+4)

(20) + 4 = 24

Patrol boat - Plasma Beam (damage, AP10) - (3d6)

(555) = 15

htech

Mar 4, 2024 11:35 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Post update, above

PhoenixScientist

Mar 5, 2024 12:02 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Lt. Katlina Komarov in Engineering is going to try and generate command points by making sure everyone is preparing for emergency repairs and aiding by giving her experience so they are ready.

OOC:

(Int/Fix?) I don't know her stats?

htech

Mar 5, 2024 12:10 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Yup. Int/Fix if you're trying to go above and beyond. Roll 2d6+2, DC 9, in that case.

If you just wanna do your duty, no need to roll, your description for the action is reasonable and enough.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 5, 2024 1:04 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Going Above and Beyond doesn't make sense for 1 extra command point for the risk of a loss at a 50/50 chance. Going to do your duty.
(I'm assuming she's level 2 like us)

Last edited March 5, 2024 1:05 am

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 5, 2024 4:25 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Holy crap, how did the fighters get so many CP?

Douklan Does His Duty, bringing the Sentinel closer to the Patrol Boat so that the gunnery crew will have a better chance at a shot.
+1 CP

Last edited March 5, 2024 4:25 am

daryen

Mar 5, 2024 4:36 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Ensign Carderas Does His Duty by tracking the combatants to make sure of where everyone is.

So, with Komarov, Douklan, and Carderas all doing their duty, that means that we should be able to Fire All Guns. So ... can we do that?

Carderas recommends firing both Fusions at the Patrol Boat and the Sandthrower at one of the fighters.

OOC:

The NPC Command Points are just what those ships get. The fighters and shuttle get 4 CP; the patrol boat gets 5. If the Sentinel was not being run as a PC ship, it would also get 5 CP.

EDIT: I want to point out that the Patrol boat Fusion Beam only does 10 damage, not 15. The Sentinel's HPO armor reduces the opposition Fusion Beam to just 5 AP, meaning that the Sentinel's 10 armor is only reduced to 5, not completely negated. So that drops the damage by 5.

EDIT2: So, when using the Command Points, a given weapon can fire as many times as you want as long as you have the CP to fire it?

Last edited March 5, 2024 4:45 am

htech

Mar 5, 2024 12:03 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

I want to point out that the Patrol boat Fusion Beam only does 10 damage, not 15

Fixed. Thanks.

Quote:

But we will need to know STATS for these NPCs, so we know both bonuses and how many CP will be earned if we succeed on Above and Beyond checks.

In Stars Without Number NPCs have less stats. They don't have attributes, skill levels, foci, etc. For skill checks, they either roll 2d6 (for things unrelated to their focus) or 2d6 + a small bonus (for things they are trained to do). All of the Sentinel's crew rolls 2d6+2 for trained skills (the ones you will probably use in this combat).

Douklan is special, though, because he is a PC. I would suggest that in our next round he goes first, and normally above and beyond. As a PC, the rules are usually in his favor.

Quote:

Lt Jr. Fu Chen tries to go above and beyond

If he does that, the Sentinel can't fire. All general actions are exclusive; if you take one of these actions your department can do nothing else in the round, either before or after you take the action.

So I will let you redo that, as part of our learning experience.

Quote:

So, when using the Command Points, a given weapon can fire as many times as you want as long as you have the CP to fire it?

Yup. As I undid the Gunnery action, so he can act last, now you can Fire All Guns and even have CP left to Fire One Weapon. If you had one CP more, you could Fire all guns twice.

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (Gunnery)	0	Next gunnery action costs -2 CP
The Sentinel	Bridge: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	3
The Sentinel	Gunnery: To be defined	?

daryen

Mar 5, 2024 1:59 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Got a question: If the captain's action makes the next gunnery action cost -2 CP, shouldn't we be able to Fire All Guns with the very first CP we get (the Bridge: Do Your Duty)? Then, as long as Engineering, Comms, and Gunnery also Do Your Duty, we can Fire All Guns again. Correct? Or, we could Fire One Weapon and Target Systems on the Patrol Boat's plasma beam. Or am I missing something?

htech

Mar 5, 2024 2:02 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

Or am I missing something?

The Gunnery cannot act twice in the round. He can't act after the Bridge and before Comms, then act after Comms again.

daryen

Mar 5, 2024 3:01 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

So let's see if I am following.

Gunnery is now free to act. If they Do Your Duty, then they can't fire any weapons. Instead, they can take one CP and effectively turn it into three CP (because of the Captain's actions) to Fire All Guns. Great. Now we have two CP left. If we want to use that to Fire One Weapon, who takes that action? One of the other two gunners?

And, on the patrol boat, if the gunner fired the gun once, who fire the gun the second time?

Just trying to get my head around all of this. And thank you, this is a great learning experience on the game!

htech

Mar 5, 2024 4:37 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

If we want to use that to Fire One Weapon, who takes that action? One of the other two gunners?

Unlike normal combat, Space Combat actions are done by the department. So if the Gunnery department is acting, they can fire the same weapon, any number of times. Or multiple weapons. The person manning that gun would fire, as much as you have CP for it. We have 3 gunners in the Sentinel because the same person cannot man two guns simultaneously. But, if you have the CP, everyone can fire twice. Or just one of the guns fires, the remaining "just watching". Or none of them fires at all and save that CP for other department. =)

Quote:

And, on the patrol boat, if the gunner fired the gun once, who fire the gun the second time?

The same gunner. As long as the Gunnery head is acting, has CP avaliable and allows him to fire, he does so.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 5, 2024 5:01 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

So my question is ... It will on average take 3 -4rounds to do any action.
2-3 to generate the command points and one to do the action
(The math on Do Your Duty and Go Above And Beyond is equal for level 2 characters.
Yes? Is this what others see?

daryen

Mar 5, 2024 5:28 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

@htech, Thank you!

@PhoenixScientist, I don't think so. Each department gets to do something in their round. So, in this first round, the captain did Support Department to make one gunnery action easier. Bridge, Engineering, and Comms did "Do Your Duty" to generate CP (for a total of 3). So now, still in this first round, Gunnery will be able to fire twice. The first one is Fire All Guns (3CP-2CP from the Captain for 1CP), the second is Fire One Weapon (the remaining 2CP; assuming this is one of the Fusion Beams).

Assuming obvious choices, then in Fire All Guns, both Fusion Beams will fire on the Patrol Boat, and the Sandthrower will try for one of the fighters. For Fire One Weapon, one of the Fusion Beams (gunner with highest modifier) will fire on the Patrol Boat again.

Then, next round we can do it all over again, though Bridge, Engineering, and Comms will have to come up with a new description of how they are Doing Their Duty. Honestly, this is probably what we should be doing until things start going bad. At that point we have to start risking Above and Beyond in order to get extra CP so we can shoot AND do something else. But we have enough of a firepower advantage that would should just keep hammering them until we can't.

IMO. I am not the one running the fight. Just saying what I am seeing. :-)

htech

Mar 5, 2024 5:51 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Daryen is right. =)

I will let the Gunnery head decide their actions and them we will continue. This is still the first round. As we learn, the next ones will surely be faster. =)

spaceseeker19

Mar 6, 2024 5:47 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Following up his earlier pep-talk to take their time, Lt Jr. Fu Chen then orders his crew "Fire all weapons on the patrol boat." Then, seeing an opportunity as one of the fighters hoves into view, "Micah, hit that fighter!"

OOC:

Fire all Guns,
then
Fire One Weapon

Now, as I understand it, you wanted to reuse the roll I did days ago when this round started. But the roll should be 2d6+2, correct? I think then that the total for Chen's shot would be 8.

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 6, 2024 9:09 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I meant the attack roll...

Lt. Jr. Fu Chen's voice echoed through the gunnery as he issued his orders to fire all weapons. The Sentinel's weapons blazed to life, unleashing a devastating onslaught upon their adversary.

Meanwhile, Lt. Jr. Fu Chen himself was in control of one of the plasma beam cannons, his hands steady as he lined up his shot. With a press of a button, a searing beam of energy lanced out from the Sentinel, striking the patrol boat squarely and causing significant damage to its hull.

OOC:

Lt. Jr. Fu Chen gunnery roll - (10) + 4 = 14.

That's a hit. Roll 3d6 for damage. =)

The remaining gunners can also fire now (Micah twice)

daryen

Mar 6, 2024 1:02 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I'll do what is ordered, but the sandthrower should only fire on the fighters, NOT the patrol boat. I'll explain why in my firing post.

Also, the real danger is the patrol boat. The only weapon that is going to hurt the Sentinel is that plasma gun. Our plasma guns should only fire on that patrol boat until it is dead.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 6, 2024 8:59 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I plan to do another CP generating next round and then do some repairs (3cp cost) the round after.

daryen

Mar 6, 2024 10:20 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Micah shrugs and follows orders, firing the Sandthrower at the Patrol Boat. I believe he has a +2 modifier.

Roll to hit ...

... and that's a miss.

Had it impacted, I'd have rolled 2d4 to see damage, then subtract 5 because of its armor, most likely resulting in no damage.

The reason it would have been better to fire on one of the fighters is that the Sandthrower is optimized against fighters. I would have had two rolls to hit, instead of just one, allowing me to take the better roll. Likewise, this also would have applied to damage, where if one of the two rolls would have hit the admittedly higher AC, I would have had two chances to exceed the armor, rather than just one.

Regardless, the Sandthrower is mostly ornamental, except on a few lucky rolls. :-)

Last edited March 6, 2024 10:25 pm

Rolls

Sandthrower To-hit roll - (1d20+2)

(10) + 2 = 12

htech

Mar 6, 2024 11:20 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

Then, seeing an opportunity as one of the fighters hoves into view, "Micah, hit that fighter!"

Daryen, Micah has a second shot, this one at the fighter.

Spaceseeker19, when gunners fire all weapons mounted on the ship, if you want, they can designate targets as they wish. I guess you thought that it all had to be the same target. It doesn't. But let's keep that order for this round and you change, if you want, for the next =)

Daryen, for attacks, Spec. Logan rolls 1d20+3 as he is more junior. The remaining gunners roll 1d20+4. You missed the patrol boat, either way.

daryen

Mar 6, 2024 11:41 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Oh, I misunderstood. I am also so sorry the second shot is wasted on the Sandthrower. Please always make extra shots with the Plasma Beams!

OK, firing on a fighter ...

... and that's a miss, too. :-(

Last edited March 6, 2024 11:41 pm

Rolls

Firing on a Fighter - (2d20h1+3)

(211) + 3 = 14

spaceseeker19

Mar 7, 2024 12:43 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Lt. Jr. Fu Chen scores a hit with plasma cannon 1.

Rolls

Damage from Sentinel plasma cannon 1 - (3d6)

(341) = 8

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 7, 2024 9:23 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I'm rolling the dice for arthur12320 this round.

As the battle raged on, Specialist Valverde seized the moment and unleashed a well-aimed shot that struck the patrol boat with devastating force, causing further damage to the already beleaguered vessel.

Patrol boat - HP left: 13

Then, Ensign Carderas was momentarily caught off guard as the second starfighter, equipped as a bomber, unleashed a devastating Fractal Impact Charge.

The charge consisted of a spray of penetrator sabots, each meticulously designed with fractal surfacing to increase their impact. These sabots, propelled at high velocity, bore into the Sentinel's hull, their surfaces ensuring optimal penetration against even the most fortified defenses. Alarms blared throughout the ship as warning lights flashed, signaling the extent of the damage sustained.

Sentinel's engines were damaged. Another hit like that and they will be disabled

In the meantime, Alex Mercer, piloting the A09 shuttle with a display of remarkable piloting expertise and a stroke of luck, found himself able to maneuver away from the heart of the conflict. With deft precision, he navigated the shuttle through the chaos of exploding debris and swirling energy blasts, narrowly avoiding any incoming fire from the warring factions.

Round 1 Summary

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 1	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 1	Fire weapon, target systems: A09 Engines	1	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Patrol Boat	NPC command points	5	-
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon + target systems: Sentinel's Plasma Gun 2	2	Miss
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon, target: Sentinel	0	Hit: 10 hull damage

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (Gunnery)	0	Next gunnery action costs -2 CP
The Sentinel	Bridge: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	3
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire All Guns	2	Plasma Beam 1 and Beam 2 have hit, the sandthrower misses - Total: 12 hull damage.
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire One Weapon, Sandthrower	0	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 2	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 2	Fire one weapon, target engine, Sentinel	1	Sentinel's engine damaged, reduced to drive-1 until repaired. Also, received 5÷2 = 3 hull damage.

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	NPC command points	4	-
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	Escape Combat	0	Success, 1 of 3 necessary to escape

Rolls

Strike Fighter 2 - Attack engines AC13 - (1d20-1)

(14) - 1 = 13

Alex Mercer - Speed check (Int/Pilot + shuttle speed) - (2d6+0+3)

(46) + 3 = 13

Strike Fighter 1 - Speed check (opposed roll) - (2d6+7)

(11) + 7 = 9

Gunnery - Spec. Valverde (arthur12320) - (1d20+4)

(20) + 4 = 24

Damage from Sentinel plasma cannon 2 - (3d6)

(121) = 4

Fighter 2 - Fractal Impact Charge (damage, AP15) - (2d6)

(23) = 5

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 7, 2024 11:57 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

As the Draco Separatist Fleet continued their relentless assault, the patrol boat targeted the Sentinel's Plasma Gun, hoping to cripple the frigate's offensive capabilities. However, the Sentinel's armor held strong, deflecting the enemy's attack and safeguarding the vital weapon system.

But the patrol boat continued its assault. Despite the frigate's resilient armor, the enemy vessel managed to land a hit with their second shot of its plasma guns, causing a localized breach in the Sentinel's defenses.

Take another 8 hull damage. Sentinel's remaining hit points = 19

Meanwhile, the first fighter, undeterred by its previous failed attempt, turned around and made another daring maneuver, this time to disable the Sentinel's engines. It unleashed a barrage of firepower, but once again, luck was on the Sentinel's side as the enemy's shots missed their mark.

OOC:

Now is the Sentinel's turn. Spaceseeker19 you also control the Captain now, so please tell In Character your overall strategy for this round and let's do it. If someone wanna invoke a Crisis from this or my previous post with the Bomber attack, it's your call

Round 2

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 1	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 1	Fire weapon, target systems: Sentinel’s Engines	1	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Patrol Boat	NPC command points	5	-
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon, target system: Sentinel’s gun	2	Hit. Damage 6÷2 = 3. 3 - 5 (armor) = 0. No effect.
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon, target: Sentinel	1	Hit. Damage 8 (includes armor)

Departments may act in any order:

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Captain: To be defined	0
The Sentinel	Bridge: To be defined
The Sentinel	Engineering: To be defined
The Sentinel	Comms: To be defined
The Sentinel	Gunnery: To be defined

Rolls

Patrol boat - Attack Plasma Gun AC13 - (1d20)

(16) = 16

Strike Fighter 1 - Attack engines AC13 - (1d20)

(7) = 7

Patrol Boat - Plasma Beam (damage, before armor) - (3d6)

(411) = 6

Patrol boat - Attack AC13 - (1d20+4)

(17) + 4 = 21

Patrol Boat - Plasma Beam (damage to hull, AP10, CV armor included) - (3d6-5)

(562) - 5 = 8

daryen

Mar 7, 2024 1:39 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Please take three plasma shots on the boat.

arthur12320

Mar 8, 2024 1:52 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Firing my plasma Beam

OOC:

from what i understood, after the Gunnery ordered the shoot i can take my shot, just not clear if once or twice... (i know he ordered three shoots but would it be divided between the two plasma beams?)

Rolls

Gunnery - Spec. Valverde (arthur12320) - (1d20+4) - (1d20+4)

(9) + 4 = 13

PhoenixScientist

Mar 8, 2024 2:00 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Engineering is going to try and do your duty to get 1 CP.

Lt. Katlina Komarov Heads up a group trying to get some automation ready and repair to reinforce the hull.

spaceseeker19

Mar 8, 2024 3:44 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Captain Rael falls into the easy routine of issuing commands and seeing the crew gel in combat at last. Each bridge officer was experienced, but from a different vessel; now under fire, they finally began to work instinctively, comfortable with the ship as well as with each other.

Douklan turns the Sentinel, rotating the vessel to keep the patrol boat in the firing arcs of the plasma cannons.

Hearing the damage reports, Fu dismisses the fighters as less important targets in favor of the patrol boat. Calmly he directed the gun crews: "Fire all weapons: plasmas at the patrol boat, sand at the fighters, and fire plasma cannons again as opportunity presents itself."

OOC:

The Captain, Douklan, and Fu Do Their Duty.

Last edited March 8, 2024 3:45 am

Rolls

Fu's Plasma beam at patrol boat - (2d6+4)

(26) + 4 = 12

Plasma cannon 1 damage on a hit - (3d6)

(311) = 5

Fu's Plasma beam at patrol boat (the correct dice is the D20) - (1d20+4)

(20) + 4 = 24

daryen

Mar 8, 2024 4:11 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Ensign Carderas (Comms) is Doing His Duty by confusing the enemy's sensors.

OOC:

That should be another 1 CP.

Firing the Sandthrower at the fighter shooting at the Sentinel.

Holy $#!t! That hit!

Let's see if any damage gets through. This has to be done as two separate rolls. Only the higher one counts ...

Higher number is 6, so the fighter takes a single point of damage. Yea!

Last edited March 8, 2024 4:15 am

Rolls

Firing on a Fighter - (2d20h1+3)

(217) + 3 = 20

Damage chance 1 - (2d4)

(24) = 6

Damage chance 2 - (2d4)

(14) = 5

spaceseeker19

Mar 8, 2024 6:30 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

arthur12320 says:

from what i understood, after the Gunnery ordered the shoot i can take my shot, just not clear if once or twice... (i know he ordered three shoots but would it be divided between the two plasma beams?)

OOC:

Please, be my guest and do another plasma shot for the additional weapon fire. I'd also recommend that you roll the 3d6 for damage just to save time in case it hits.

Last edited March 8, 2024 6:34 pm

htech

Mar 9, 2024 12:10 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Nice. Some notes and observations:

1. I think coordinating the gunnery head with the gunners is taking some time and is not adding that much of a choice and gameplay experience, as the head naturally makes most of the decisions. I propose we streamline that by letting arthur12320 take all guns and also control Lt. Fu. @spaceseeker19,@arthur12320,@daryen do you agree? Can I give him your gunners? In the future, I plan to keep it that way with whoever gets the gunnery head. In PbP being a gunner doesn't feel the same.

2. The captain has a special move called Support Department (0 CP) were she chooses a department. One action that department takes will require two fewer Command Points. As that is better than Do your duty in all aspects, I will suppose that she did that for the gunnery department this round. I also rolled the d20 for you, spaceseeker19, I edited your post. SWN has a unique dice mechanic: it's 2d6 for skills and 1d20 for attacking in combat. People get confused all the time =D

3. I will roll for the last gun this round, to expedite things, as that is not really an actual decision nor it is a real dice, I'm just pressing some buttons for the GP server to roll it for us. Otherwise, it would take another day or so. If we let arthur12320 control all guns, then in the next round he would have to make some choices and I would wait for him, of course.

Rolls

Gunnery - Spec. Valverde - (1d20+4)

(8) + 4 = 12

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 9, 2024 12:13 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

The bomber tried to cripple the Sentinel's engines once again, but this time the shot was not accurate enough and did not damage the ship.

In the meantime, Alex Mercer managed to distance himself further from the battle. In a few more minutes he will be able to leave the asteroid field behind and escape towards Draco III.

Round 2

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (Gunnery)	0	Next gunnery action costs -2 CP
The Sentinel	Bridge: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	3
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire All Guns	2	Plasma Beam 1 hits, Beam 2 missed, the sandthrower hit - Total: 5 hull damage to the Patrol boat, 1 hull damage to Fighter 2
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire One Weapon, Beam 2	0	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 2	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 2	Fire one weapon, target engine, Sentinel	1	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	NPC command points	4	-
A09 (Bureau's Shuttle)	Escape Combat	0	Success, 2 of 3 necessary to escape

Rolls

Strike Fighter 2 - Attack Sentinel's engines AC13 - (1d20-1)

(8) - 1 = 7

Alex Mercer - Speed check (Int/Pilot + shuttle speed) - (2d6+0+3)

(56) + 3 = 14

Strike Fighter 1 - Speed check (opposed roll) - (2d6+7)

(13) + 7 = 11

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 9, 2024 12:48 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

As the battle raged on, the Patrol boat and the fighter continued to fire on the Sentinel and attempt to disable its systems and engines. Fortunately, they missed all of their shots, giving the Sentinel crew the opportunity to retaliate.

OOC:

Your turn!

Round 3

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Fighter 1	NPC command points	4	-
Fighter 1	Fire weapon, target systems: Sentinel’s Engines	1	Miss

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
Patrol Boat	NPC command points	5	-
Patrol Boat	Fire one weapon, target system: Sentinel’s Engines	2	Miss
Patrol Boat	Evasive maneuvers	0	Miss

Rolls

Patrol boat - Attack Engines AC13 - (1d20)

(8) = 8

Strike Fighter 1 - Attack engines AC13 - (1d20)

(7) = 7

Evasive maneuvers DC9 - (2d6+2)

(41) + 2 = 7

PhoenixScientist

Mar 9, 2024 4:09 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Engineering is going to try and do your duty to get 1 CP.

(This is getting harder and harder)
Lt. Katlina Komarov is loading up a gravcarrier to get the hull repaired.

daryen

Mar 9, 2024 6:11 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I'll do Comms later, but note the restriction is not doing the same thing in consecutive rounds. The restriction is NOT to never do the same thing. So, I see no reason you couldn't do the same two things every other round. Or is that violating the spirit of the rules?

Comms will Do Their Duty, however.

htech

Mar 9, 2024 9:13 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

the same two things every other round.

I think this is allowed, but it's not the purpose of it. There are many, many things a department can do to help. Repeating something after a while seems ok. Choosing the same two descriptions over and over again seems like a lazy approach.

daryen

Mar 9, 2024 6:34 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Ensign Carderas (Comms) is Doing His Duty by monitoring communications to see if the Patrol Boat is calling for aid.

OOC:

That should be another 1 CP.

I am assuming we are still doing one round of Fire All Guns, so here is the Sandthrower firing at the fighter shooting at the Sentinel ...

... another hit! Rolling damage ...

... for no effective damage as the armor eats it all.

Last edited March 9, 2024 6:36 pm

Rolls

Firing on a Fighter - (2d20h1+3)

(2019) + 3 = 23

Damage chance 1 - (2d4)

(23) = 5

Damage chance 2 - (2d4)

(13) = 4

arthur12320

Mar 10, 2024 7:37 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Quote:

I think coordinating the gunnery head with the gunners is taking some time and is not adding that much of a choice and gameplay experience, as the head naturally makes most of the decisions. I propose we streamline that by letting arthur12320 take all guns and also control Lt. Fu. @spaceseeker19,@arthur12320,@daryen do you agree? Can I give him your gunners? In the future, I plan to keep it that way with whoever gets the gunnery head. In PbP being a gunner doesn't feel the same.

OOC:

I agree, but if @daryen would like to take control also not a problem.

daryen

Mar 10, 2024 2:45 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I am amenable to whatever works better. Having one person manage the guns is fine by me.

Doing Comms is sufficient for my purposes.

spaceseeker19

Mar 11, 2024 3:36 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

htech says:

1. I think coordinating the gunnery head with the gunners is taking some time and is not adding that much of a choice and gameplay experience, as the head naturally makes most of the decisions. I propose we streamline that by letting arthur12320 take all guns and also control Lt. Fu. @spaceseeker19,@arthur12320,@daryen do you agree?

OOC:

Sure, that's fine. I would expect it to play that way in real-time as the default.

To me, here on GP, it would also make sense for a player to control the gunnery department (declaring the actions) and then have the GM do all the rolls for the actual guns (because it reduces posts and saves time).

htech says:

The captain has a special move called Support Department (0 CP) were she chooses a department.

OOC:

Yes, the Captain would do that every round.

htech says:

SWN has a unique dice mechanic: it's 2d6 for skills and 1d20 for attacking in combat.

OOC:

So if it's a skill check outside of combat, it's 2d6, but if it's a skill check in combat, it's 1d20?
Or is it just skill checks that involve attacks in combat that are 1d20, and other skill checks in combat are still 2d6?

OOC:

I don't have a sense of how badly damaged the Sentinel is at this point, and I don't know the condition of the ships we're attacking, either (well, the fighters are undamaged, but I don't know about the patrol boat). So I don't know whether the Captain would Support the Gunnery or Engineering/Repair departments for this third turn. If the Captain Supports the Engineering department to work on repairs, that reduces the cost of repairs by 2 CP (I don't know the cost of repairs), but would that also mean (as I suspect) that the Engineering department would be actively making a repair check rather than Doing Their Duty, so our current CP total would be 2, rather than 3?

I've looked over the space battle actions you've put on Douklan's sheet (thank you); without knowing the condition of the ships, I don't know whether I should be spending points on Evasion or concentrating on generating CP for the gunnery department. We were hit in turn 2 and are down to 19 ship HP; did we deal any damage to the patrol boat on turn two? What is its condition?

Last edited March 11, 2024 4:05 am

htech

Mar 11, 2024 9:07 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

So if it's a skill check outside of combat, it's 2d6, but if it's a skill check in combat, it's 1d20?
Or is it just skill checks that involve attacks in combat that are 1d20, and other skill checks in combat are still 2d6?

Just those that involve attacks (Shoot, Stab, Punch, etc).

Quote:

If the Captain Supports the Engineering department to work on repairs

The Engineering did their duty this round, see PhoenixScientist post above, so that is not an option anymore, their round is finished. The patrol boat is pretty hurt so focusing on Gunnery is an option. The Bridge's Evasion is still a possibility as that's under your control as well.

Quote:

I've looked over the space battle actions you've put on Douklan's sheet (thank you);

Great! I will add that in the other PCs sheets too.

Quote:

did we deal any damage to the patrol boat on turn two? What is its condition?

Fighter 1 - 8 HP left (of 8)
Fighter 2 - 7 HP (of 8)
Patrol Boat - 8 HP (of 25)

I will add an HP table next round as well. :)

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 1:12 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I've been generating CP till now, but I plan on trying Damage Control to get back lost HP in round 4.

daryen

Mar 11, 2024 2:01 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Please kill the Patrol Boat first. Honestly, if at least two of the three Fusion Beam shots hit, then it should reduce the Patrol Boat's HP to 0.

As an aside, what does happen when the ship's HP drop to 0?

Last edited March 11, 2024 2:02 pm

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 2:25 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

daryen says:

OOC:

Please kill the Patrol Boat first. Honestly, if at least two of the three Fusion Beam shots hit, then it should reduce the Patrol Boat's HP to 0.

As an aside, what does happen when the ship's HP drop to 0?

PG 94: Starship Hulls says:

Hit Points reflects the amount of damage the ship
can take before it explodes or becomes inoperable.

OOC:

Nothing good

Last edited March 11, 2024 2:28 pm

arthur12320

Mar 11, 2024 2:31 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Just so that I’m clear on the order, all of our departments already went on round 4? Waiting for the enemy ships now? In the next round I could go ahead and try to finish the patrol boat?

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 2:39 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I have not seen round 4 declared. I was just communicating intent early.

htech

Mar 11, 2024 3:29 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

Just so that I’m clear on the order, all of our departments already went on round 4?

Nops. We are still at round 3.

Round 3

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Bridge: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (To be defined)	?
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire All Guns??	?	The sandthrower already missed a fighter. The other guns can go? (or can I roll for them?)
The Sentinel	Any CP left?	?	?

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 3:38 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Why do we have CP listed by department if they're shared?

arthur12320

Mar 11, 2024 3:41 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Quote:

Why do we have CP listed by department if they're shared?

OOC:

I think that is not by department, is the remaining cp after that action. Ex: after the comms department did their duty we received 1cp going from 1 to 2

htech

Mar 11, 2024 3:44 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Yup. Sorry if it was not clear. The remaining CP is what really matters for the next actions, so I'm listing it in each row.

arthur12320

Mar 11, 2024 3:51 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

@htech About the gunnery, all guns will fire (if we manage to get 3 CP) and I can roll for the two plasma guns

Rolls

Gunnery - plasma beam 1 - (1d20+4) - (1d20+4)

(17) + 4 = 21

Gunnery - plasma beam 1 - (1d20+4) - (1d20+4)

(5) + 4 = 9

Damage (if hits) plasma beam 1 - (3d6)

(461) = 11

Damage (if hits) plasma beam 2 - (3d6)

(636) = 15

htech

Mar 11, 2024 3:53 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

In that case, please roll damage for each gun as well with your posts, so if you hit I can already deduce the damage and if you miss I can simply ignore that specific damage roll. =)

I will update your post above to show how =)

Round 3

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Bridge: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (To be defined)	?
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire All Guns	-1	Needs CP or this action will be canceled. The Patrol Boat will explode / become inoperable.
The Sentinel	Any CP left?	?	?

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 4:18 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

htech says:

OOC:

Yup. Sorry if it was not clear. The remaining CP is what really matters for the next actions, so I'm listing it in each row.

OOC:

My question more defined, because I dont understand yet. If it's CP generatied Engineering should be 3. But we have shared CP, so having it separated doesn't make sense? Because any department can use the CP any other department generates so Engineering doesn't have 2 and The Sentinel 1, The Sentinel has 3.
If it was CP generated this turn it would be only 1 for everyone who Did Your Duty

Last edited March 11, 2024 4:19 pm

arthur12320

Mar 11, 2024 4:21 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

think of it like a timeline, we started with zero CP, engineering did their duty, we went from 0 to 1, comms did their duty also going from 1 to 2 and so on. And of course we are sharing it, for example gunnery is trying to use 3 CP, since we only had 2 in total we are currently at -1 unlesss some other department generates more.

Last edited March 11, 2024 4:22 pm

htech

Mar 11, 2024 4:29 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Oh. Every round CP resets (starts at zero).

So, what the table is showing is that at the beginning of round 3, Engineering was the first to act, and generated 1 CP. We have 1 CP available after that.

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Start of the round	0
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	1

Then, Comms did, and generated another CP, for a total of 2 available after that.

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	2

Bridge and Captain still have to act in this round, but Gunnery chose "Fire All Guns". Normally, they would have to wait, because we don't have 3 CP available yet. But I'm letting they go and will consider all rolls. That means the CP is at -1 after Gunnery acted. If the Bridge/Captain don't fix that, Gunnery action will be canceled.

Ship	Action	CP left	Result
The Sentinel	Engineering: Do your duty	1
The Sentinel	Comms: Do your duty	2
The Sentinel	Bridge: To be defined	?
The Sentinel	Captain: Support Department (To be defined)	?
The Sentinel	Gunnery: Fire All Guns	-1	Needs CP or this action will be canceled. The Patrol Boat will explode / become inoperable if we fired all guns.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 11, 2024 4:32 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

So either the bridge or the captain could ise up to 3 CP this round unless they generate some. Otherwise it goes to waste?

daryen

Mar 11, 2024 4:50 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

@spaceseeker19 needs to just state the actions of Douklan and the Captain.

If Douklan simply Does His Duty, then we have the 3CP to Fire All Guns and kill the Patrol Boat.
If the Captain Supports Gunnery, then we effectively have 2 more CP to Fire A Weapon and try to kill one of the fighters.

There are other variations we can do, but right now that probably makes the most sense so we can finish off the Patrol Boat and (hopefully) one of the fighters. I would imagine the other fighter will run if its two companions are now floating clouds of debris.

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 12, 2024 7:12 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Douklan pilots the ship in an attempt to keep the guns facing the patrol boat, rather than the engines. (Do Your Duty).
Captain Rael calls to Lt. Jr. Fu Chen and the rest of the Gunnery crew: "Good job, everyone. One more solid hit on that patrol boat and we can wrap up this fiasco. I have every confidence in you." (Support Gunnery Department).

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 12, 2024 9:38 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

With the captain's support, Lt. Jr. Chen fires his Plasma Beam one more time, this once trying to hit the closest Fighter, but misses.

Rolls

Plasma Beam - (1d20+4)

(9) + 4 = 13

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 12, 2024 9:39 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

As the battle reached its climax, the Sentinel's crew seized the opportunity and targeted the vulnerable points in the enemy vessel's hull, unleashing a relentless onslaught that left the patrol boat crippled and disabled.

Lt. Jr. Chen, his eyes alight with triumph, relayed the news to the rest of the crew. "Direct hit! Enemy patrol boat disabled," he announced, his voice ringing with satisfaction.

Ensign Alonso Carderas, monitoring the enemy's status from his station, confirmed the extent of the damage. "Multiple hull breaches detected, power systems failing.," he reported, his fingers flying across the controls as he kept a vigilant eye.

The Draco Separatist patrol boat was now out of commission. However, the crew of the Sentinel knew the battle was far from over. With the enemy starfighters still posing a threat, they remained on high alert.

In fact, Lt. Komarov, monitoring the situation, breathed a sigh of relief as the Sentinel's defenses held firm against the bombing run from the second fighter. "Armor holding, engines still functional" she reported, her voice steady despite the intensity of the battle.

Alex Mercer, piloting the A09 shuttle, seized that opportunity to completely escape from the chaos of the conflict. With a mixture of luck and skill on his side, Alex Mercer had managed to elude the clutches of the enemy and escape from the midst of the space battle unscathed. As he plotted his navigation course to Draco III, he allowed himself a moment of reprieve, grateful for the chance to live to fight another day.

Rolls

Strike Fighter 2 - Attack engines AC13 - (1d20-1)

(12) - 1 = 11

Alex Mercer - Speed check (Int/Pilot + shuttle speed) - (2d6+0+3)

(55) + 3 = 13

Strike Fighter 1 - Speed check (opposed roll) - (2d6+7)

(15) + 7 = 13

Fighters- Morale check ML9 - (2d6)

(14) = 5

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 13, 2024 12:30 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

As the first fighter of the Draco Separatist Fleet attempted once more to target the Sentinel's engines, its attack was thwarted by the skillful maneuvers of the Sentinel's crew. Lt. Paravides, coordinating the frigate's thrusters, anticipated the enemy's move and swiftly adjusted the Sentinel's trajectory, throwing off the attacker's aim.

"Enemy fighter attempting another attack run, but missed again," reported Ensign Alonso Carderas from his station.

OOC:

Your turn, round 4.

Fighter 1 - 8 HP left (of 8)
Fighter 2 - 7 HP (of 8)

Rolls

Strike Fighter 1 - Attack engines AC13 - (1d20)

(9) = 9

daryen

Mar 13, 2024 2:00 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Ensign Carderas tracks the debris field and plots the predicted path for the fighter attacking the Sentinel. He is Doing His Duty for 1 CP.

daryen

Mar 13, 2024 2:06 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

As an aside, this combat is giving me some definite opinions on ship's weapons.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 13, 2024 2:07 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Lt. Katlina Komarov is leading a few engineers to do Damage Control quickly patch the hull damage.

OOC:

3cp

htech

Mar 13, 2024 9:03 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

PhoenixScientist says:

Lt. Katlina Komarov is leading a few engineers to do Damage Control quickly patch the hull damage.

Roll 2d6+2, DC7 and let's see what happens.

daryen

Mar 13, 2024 2:16 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

So we're not going to fire at the fighters this turn?

PhoenixScientist

Mar 13, 2024 2:59 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

PhoenixScientist says:

Lt. Katlina Komarov is leading a few engineers to do Damage Control quickly patch the hull damage.

OOC:

3cp

Quote:

On a success, repair a number of lost hit points equal to your Fix skill times 2 for fighter hulls, 3 for frigates, 4 for cruisers, and 6 for capital-class hulls

OOC:

so 6pt?

Last edited March 13, 2024 3:06 pm

Rolls

Damage Control dc7 - (2D6+2)

(33) + 2 = 8

arthur12320

Mar 13, 2024 3:02 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

@daryen i think some people wanted to do repairs, but I leave the decision to the Captain

PhoenixScientist

Mar 13, 2024 3:22 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

daryen says:

OOC:

So we're not going to fire at the fighters this turn?

OOC:

This is why I communicated my intent on two previous posts. If you wanted to work around it or object I did give days. I'm not sure of the logistics, but it does seem to stop any other department from doing anything, Unless both other departments(Bridge & Comms) Went Above and Beyond, succeeded. (Which is about 50/50 each) and the captain Support Department. Where we would generate 4CP, reduce cost of 1 3cp action to 1.

daryen

Mar 13, 2024 4:00 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Well, I guess the captain gets to decide what to do. I'm just Comms, so what do I know?

Basically, Engineering doing repairs is really a 4 CP move. It costs 3 CP to do and prevents 1 CP from being earned. It looks like the Captain and Bridge have two main options:
1) The captain supports gunnery. This by itself allows Gunnery to Fire One Weapon. Then Bridge Goes Above and Beyond to give Engineering the support it needs to actually do the repair. If it works, then the repairs are done. If it doesn't, the repairs get cancelled.
2) The captain supports engineering. This, combined with Comms' Do Your Duty allows the repairs to take place. At that point Bridge has to Go Above and Beyond for the guns to fire.

So ... the captain gets to decide what happens. I'm Comms, the lowest ranking bridge officer here. I don't make decisions.

PhoenixScientist

Mar 13, 2024 4:37 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

daryen says:

OOC:

Well, I guess the captain gets to decide what to do. I'm just Comms, so what do I know?

Basically, Engineering doing repairs is really a 4 CP move. It costs 3 CP to do and prevents 1 CP from being earned.

OOC:

The math doesn't quite math because that's putting CP as the goal and not the tool, but also that would mean we're counting every action as costing 1 more, which just doesn't make sense.

daryen says:

OOC:

It looks like the Captain and Bridge have two main options:
1) The captain supports gunnery. This by itself allows Gunnery to Fire One Weapon. Then Bridge Goes Above and Beyond to give Engineering the support it needs to actually do the repair. If it works, then the repairs are done. If it doesn't, the repairs get cancelled.
2) The captain supports engineering. This, combined with Comms' Do Your Duty allows the repairs to take place. At that point Bridge has to Go Above and Beyond for the guns to fire.

So ... the captain gets to decide what happens. I'm Comms, the lowest ranking bridge officer here. I don't make decisions.

OOC:

It seems like either way we need at least one to succeed on Go Above And Beyond.

htech

Mar 13, 2024 4:55 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Let's wait for Bridge and Captain, before Gunnery acts, ok? They will decide what happens and how much CP we have left for guns.

Arthur12320 can leave a pre-selected target, if he has time to read this before spaceseeker19, and I can handle either Lt. Chen Doing Your Duty or Fire One Gun to streamline things.

arthur12320

Mar 13, 2024 4:56 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Works for me

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 14, 2024 2:48 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

"Good work, Gunnery Department!" Captain Rael says: "All crew not manning guns report to Lt. Komarov in Engineering to assist with repairs." (Support Engineering Department). Then, calmly, she adds: "Gunnery, would you also disable that second Fighter?"

Douklan extrapolates from the calculations that Ensign is feeding him, realizes that the Fighter 2 is going too fast to maneuver out of the way of an expected move by the Sentinel. He throttles back the engines, using mostly maneuvering jets to rotate the guns to bear on Fighter 2 as it passes by. Douklan is attempting to go Above and Beyond for the 2 CP that Lt. Chen needs to fire a weapon.

OOC:

It's a bit better than even odds that Above and Beyond will succeed. If it does, then Gunnery can fire one weapon. If it doesn't, then Gunnery won't be able to fire and Lt. Chen can Do His Duty to produce the CP that we'll then need to do the repairs.

Edit:

OOC:

Captain provides a discount of 2 to cost of repairs. The CP from Comms covers this now.
Douklan provides +2 CP, enough for Gunnery to fire one weapon. Which weapon is fired is up to Lt. Chen's discretion.

Last edited March 14, 2024 2:51 am

Rolls

Piloting check to surprise Fighter 2 DC9 - (2d6+3)

(35) + 3 = 11

daryen

Mar 14, 2024 3:10 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Nice!

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 14, 2024 11:35 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Lt. Chen's fires his plasma beam, hitting the fighter 2

Rolls

Plasma beam attack - (1d20+4)

(17) + 4 = 21

Plasma beam damage - (3d6)

(151) = 7

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 14, 2024 12:31 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

As the Sentinel's weapons locked onto the second fighter of the Draco Separatist Fleet, the gunner unleashed a devastating barrage of firepower.

Despite narrowly avoiding a direct hit that would surely blow it to pieces, the fighter was not unscathed. The onslaught from the Sentinel's weapons caused critical damage to the ship's systems, triggering a ship crisis onboard. Inside the cockpit, alarms blared as warning lights flashed, indicating a catastrophic failure of vital command links. The pilot was unable to repair its Haywire Systems

Rolls

Crisis roll - (1d10)

(6) = 6

Deal With a Crisis DC10 - (2d6+2)

(25) + 2 = 9

arthur12320

Mar 14, 2024 12:37 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Good one!

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 14, 2024 2:38 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

After a couple of minutes, the Sentinel's sensors detected the approach of a ship with the Free Merchant hull. The unexpected arrival raised immediate concerns, and the bridge crew quickly assessed the situation.

Captain Kara Rael's brow furrowed as she processed the information. "Open a channel to the ship. Let's hear what they have to say," she commanded, her voice firm yet cautious.

Ensign Alonso Carderas swiftly complied, establishing communication with the approaching vessel. "This is Captain Kara Rael of the ITC frigate Sentinel. Identify yourself and state your intentions," she demanded, her tone authoritative as she prepared to negotiate with the newcomers.

The response came quickly, in an open channel, the voice on the other end of the line carrying a sense of urgency. "This is Captain Reynolds of the Free Trader ship Starlight. We have hostages from a recent Draco Separatist raid and wish to negotiate their release. We are unarmed and wish to approach the damaged frigate to recover our compatriots and save their lives. We will release all hostages, unharmed, after that. All Draco Separatist Fleet starships, stand down. I repeat, all fighters, stand down."

Captain Rael exchanged a meaningful glance with Douklan, and ordered Carderas to end the transmission. "Lieutenant Paravides, your assessment and recomendation, please."

OOC:

Douklan, what do you do? End of combat?

Rolls

Fighters- Morale check ML9 - (2d6)

(35) = 8

Starlight initiative (if necessary) - (1d8)

(2) = 2

htech

Mar 14, 2024 10:57 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

On a success, repair a number of lost hit points equal to your Fix skill times 2 for fighter hulls, 3 for frigates, 4 for cruisers, and 6 for capital-class hulls

so 6pt?

Yup.

daryen

Mar 14, 2024 11:15 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Two quick questions:
1) Does the Sentinel still have the cargo lighter?
2) How many people can the cargo lighter carry?

htech

Mar 14, 2024 11:18 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

1) Nope. Never had. The Nocturna's shuttle was from the ITC station.
2) A pilot and a co-pilot, without external attachments

daryen

Mar 15, 2024 12:40 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I only ask because, in my RPG experience, it is always better to use subcraft for such a transfer, if you have one. There isn't one here, so it's a moot point.

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 15, 2024 8:40 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

The patrol boat and second fighter out of the action, but Douklan looks to the sensor station quickly, to see what the first fighter is doing. ::Will we have to destroy it, too?::

"Captain, I think a gesture of faith on their part is warranted. I'd suggest having them return the hostages first, then go to evacuate the crew." Looking at the shocked faces of the other bridge crew, Douklan tries to explain. "The Starlight showed up suspiciously fast, don't you think? That seems to suggest that they were already on their way to support the others when the outcome of our conflict wasn't as certain...which in turn suggests that they might have been coming to participate in the battle, not to rescue people." He looks at the others. "I don't want anybody to asphyxiate, but we could see what assurances they could give."

Last edited March 15, 2024 8:41 pm

Ens Carderas

daryen

Mar 15, 2024 9:21 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Ens Carderas

There is no shock or negative reaction from Ensign Carderas.

The Ensign says, "Permission to speak?"

Assuming it is granted, he continues, "How about letting the Trader go straight to the Patrol Boat as they request, but also has to let the A09 dock with it. The hostages can be transferred to the A09 while they perform their rescue mission. Once on board, the A09 can then bring them to us. All the while we stand guns ready in case of any trickery. We will maintain an open link with the Senior Agent to ensure we will know immediately if there is a betrayal."

OOC:

Found an image!

Last edited March 15, 2024 11:13 pm

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 15, 2024 9:59 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

The A09 is gone, actually. Alex spent more than 45 minutes (3 rounds) accelerating away, pedal to the metal. He would take even more time to turn around and get back, assuming he wanted to risk it. He won't, he is not Navy and he is completely unarmed and defenseless.

Captain Kara Rael listened intently to Douklan's assessment, weighing the risks and potential outcomes of their next move. The situation was delicate, and every decision carried with it the weight of lives at stake.

After a moment of contemplation, Captain Rael nodded in agreement with Douklan's suggestion. "You make a valid point, Lieutenant. We cannot afford to take any chances with the lives of the hostages or our own crew. Contact the Starlight and request that they return the hostages to us," she ordered, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

Ensign Alonso Carderas quickly relayed the message to the Starlight, conveying the Sentinel's request for the safe return of the hostages. As they awaited a response, tension hung heavy in the air on the bridge, each member of the crew acutely aware of the stakes involved.

Moments later, a response came through from the Starlight, confirming their willingness to cooperate. "Half of the hostages will be returned to you safely now, half after we finish." came the reply, accompanied by coordinates indicating the location where the hostages would be sent to.

True to their word, the hostages were loaded into Lifeboats and sent back, their safe return a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos of battle. Meanwhile the Free Merchant ship continued their approach towards the damaged frigate.

OOC:

What do you do?

OOC:

PS: Image added to the crew section of the Sentinel's character sheet

Rolls

Secret Roll

daryen

Mar 15, 2024 11:18 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

To where are the hostages' lifeboats launched? I assume it is two lifeboats; one for the first half and one for the second half. Is that correct?

Also, if the hostages are jettisoned via lifeboats, how do we even know there is anyone actually in those lifeboats?

htech

Mar 15, 2024 11:38 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

To where are the hostages' lifeboats launched? I assume it is two lifeboats; one for the first half and one for the second half. Is that correct?

Some empty space nearby. Yup, just the first one was launched now.

Quote:

Also, if the hostages are jettisoned via lifeboats, how do we even know there is anyone actually in those lifeboats?

Sensors are detecting life signs in it. To be sure, you have to open it.

spaceseeker19

Mar 16, 2024 12:45 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

I asked this in-character before; I'll ask out of character now: what is the first fighter doing?

Also, if we wanted to train guns on the first fighter, ready to fire in case of deception/attack, what do we need to do to set that up, to improve our chances of a hit if we need to fire (and presumably to subtly communicate to the Separatists that there will be consequences if they make a wrong move)?

Third, do we have any way of looking up registration or other information about the Starlight? I'm assuming that this is happening too fast to communicate and receive a reply from any other in-system location.

Finally, how are those repairs coming?

htech

Mar 16, 2024 1:44 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

spaceseeker19 says:

I asked this in-character before; I'll ask out of character now: what is the first fighter doing?

Just moving nearby, maybe in formation with the other fighter, monitoring the frigate.

Quote:

Also, if we wanted to train guns on the first fighter, ready to fire in case of deception/attack, what do we need to do to set that up, to improve our chances of a hit if we need to fire (and presumably to subtly communicate to the Separatists that there will be consequences if they make a wrong move)?

Just say so. There are no mechanical benefits, CP or dice bonus, but the not so subtle message will be sent.

Quote:

Third, do we have any way of looking up registration or other information about the Starlight? I'm assuming that this is happening too fast to communicate and receive a reply from any other in-system location.

Actually, you can do that, depending on what information you are looking for. But it will take 40 or so minutes, so it may or may not be relevant when it arrives.

Quote:

Finally, how are those repairs coming?

I repaired the 6 HP from PhoenixScientist round. But because combat ended, HP repairs must be docked now, with external supplies (about 1,000 credits per hit point).

PhoenixScientist

Mar 16, 2024 2:24 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Quote:

OOC:

I repaired the 6 HP from PhoenixScientist round. But because combat ended, HP repairs must be docked now, with external supplies (about 1,000 credits per hit point).

OOC:

This actually makes sense as I picture the damage being mitigated during battle, but everything that couldn't be mitigated became a bigger problem and affected more of the ship.

Douklan Paravides

spaceseeker19

Mar 16, 2024 7:36 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Captain Rael ordered Lt. Chen to keep the guns trained on the fighters, particularly the one still combat-capable (Fighter 1). "Stay alert, everyone. I'm sure they're concerned about their comrades, but there's no reason to think they bear us anything but ill will. This could be a trap." She touches a control, selecting an internal comm channel. "Marine Sergeant Laspey, I want you to take a squad with you on the shuttle and rendezvous with that lifeboat. Dock and inspect the passengers to confirm that they are hostages/crew from Nocturna's Relay Station. Report your findings to me A.S.A.P." Captain Rael looks grimly at the bridge crew. "Douklan, keep your distance for now."

GM edit: Strikethrough and written a new command below

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 16, 2024 11:15 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

There is actually no shuttle available. So we will do it the "jarhead" way.

"Sergeant Anderson, get a squad and prepare for boarding operations. You will have to do it the hard way, Will. We won't approach it." - ordered the Captain.

"Ooh rah!" - answers the Marine.

A few minutes later, outside the safety of the Sentinel's hull, the marine spacewalkers donned their specialized suits and equipment, preparing to venture into the unforgiving void of space. Each marine was equipped with an orbit checker, a sophisticated device that would calculate the precise angle and force needed to navigate the treacherous journey between ships.

As the Sentinel engines shut down, the first marine spacewalker braced themselves for the harrowing journey ahead. With a deep breath, they activated their orbit checker and propelled themselves into the void, their trajectory carefully calculated to ensure a safe passage to the lifeboat.

Minutes passed like hours as the spacewalker floated in the emptiness of space, their only companions the stars above and the void below.

With practiced skill, they maneuvered closer, their suit thrusters hissing softly in the vacuum of space.

As they reached the airlock of the lifeboat, the marine expertly engaged the manual override, allowing them entry from the outside. With a hiss of escaping air, the airlock opened, revealing the interior of the vessel. He entered and closed the external door.

Inside, the marine surveyed their surroundings with a trained eye, taking note of the three hostages huddled together in the cramped space. Despite the tense situation, the hostages appeared unharmed, their expressions a mixture of relief and anxiety as they gazed up at their rescuer.

"Captain, this is Marine Delta-Seven. I've successfully boarded the lifeboat and confirmed three hostages on board, all alive and well," the marine reported over the comm link, their voice calm and steady despite the gravity of the situation.

On the bridge of the Sentinel, Captain Kara Rael acknowledged the report with a sense of relief. "Acknowledged, Marine Delta-Seven. Stand by for extraction."

OOC:

What do you do?

spaceseeker19

Mar 17, 2024 5:40 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Q: Who's piloting the lifeboat?

Sorry about the confusion regarding the shuttle; I forgot it was sent to do other duty (transporting Corbin, perhaps?).

Man, I really don't trust these guys. They fired on us with very little provocation, which means either:
- they're very stupid (because this does not help their cause and they have to know that this will bring more ITC response)
- they're very desperate
- they're really trying to distract us from something else, just keeping us occupied to waste time

It's that second one that really worries me, because if they were feeling desperate enough to attack a frigate, nothing has changed to soothe that state of desperation, and that has my nerves jangling with alarm. This just feels like a trap, like they have rigged the lifeboat to explode as soon as the Sentinel docks with it. But the Captain and the rest of the bridge crew have to be confident in the Marines' ability to anticipate and assess that threat.

Captain Rael responds: "We are approaching rendezvous now." She nods to Douklan, who begins to set in the course with sweaty palms. "Let us know if you see anything...not to spec aboard the vessel." The rest of the bridge crew continue to monitor the progress and position of the Starlight as it progresses toward the heavily-damaged patrol boat.

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 17, 2024 9:22 am

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Quote:

Q: Who's piloting the lifeboat?

Nobody, actually. It was just sent there on autopilot and is now drifting.

Your worries make sense, but nothing exploded (yet) =)

As the Sentinel closed in on the rendezvous point with the lifeboat, the rest of the crew continued to monitor the progress and position of the Starlight as it approached the heavily damaged patrol boat. The damaged fighter, now with its electronics repaired, came back into formation and circled their compatriots. Tension hung thick in the Sentinel's bridge.

After a second Marine came onboard the escape pod and quickly inspected its systems looking for bobby traps, the ITC frigate proceeded with the docking maneuver.

In the meantime, onboard the damaged frigate, the crew of the Starlight worked quickly to establish a secure connection with the damaged docking port, where Commander Thalos and his crew awaited for their rescue.

A few minutes later, with the first group of hostages safely on board the Sentinel and the first lifeboat discarded and left to drift, a second lifeboat was launched towards the ITC frigate, apparently with the last group of hostages, as the Starlight undocked and began its retreat.

The two fighters of the Separatist Fleet also attempted to retreat, leaving the patrol boat husk behind.

OOC:

What do you do?

Rolls

Secret Roll

spaceseeker19

Mar 17, 2024 11:16 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

Captain Rael's priority is the safe return of the relay station personnel, so we will repeat the same procedure with the second lifeboat. As much as it galls the bridge crew to let these rebels escape retribution, it also is not within their charter to fight wars for the Draco system's rulers...and attacking a retreating foe might be used as a pretext to start such a war. Rescue is much more comfortably within the ITC charter.

Assuming no incident with the remaining lifeboat and that all prisoners are present and well, Captain Rael will retrieve them and send them to whatever medical crew is aboard for check-up and preliminary psych evaluation. Then the Captain orders the pilot (Douklan) to maneuver the ship within visible range and sets the gunnery crew (Fu) to completely scuttling the patrol boat, so that at least no materiel left behind could later be claimed and refurbished by hostiles.

daryen

Mar 17, 2024 11:33 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

OOC:

Sound plan.

Far Traders: GM

htech

Mar 17, 2024 11:33 pm

Chapter 4B: Asteroid Battle

With the successful transfer of the remaining hostages from the second lifeboat to the Sentinel, Captain Kara Rael's primary objective was achieved. As the hostages were escorted to the medical bay for evaluation, Captain Rael turned her attention to the damaged Draco Separatist patrol boat.

"Ensign Carderas, inform the crew to prepare for scuttling procedures on the patrol boat. Lieutenant Douklan, set coordinates for a safe distance. Lt. Jr. Chen, prepare to initiate scuttling protocol," Captain Rael ordered, her voice firm and decisive as she directed her crew to carry out their tasks.

A couple of minutes later, with a nod from Captain Rael, Lieutenant Jr. Fu Chen gave the order to initiate the scuttling protocol. With a series of precise shots from the Sentinel's weapons, the damaged patrol boat was engulfed in a flurry of explosions, reducing it to a smoldering wreck.

As Ensign Alonso Carderas diligently monitored the sensors, his attention was drawn to a peculiar anomaly nearby. Hidden within the depths of an asteroid, his sensors detected the presence of a hidden base, its structures camouflaged among the rocky terrain.

"Captain, I've detected a hidden base within the asteroid. It appears to have been recently evacuated," Ensign Carderas reported, his voice tinged with urgency as he relayed the information to Captain Rael.

Lieutenant Douklan, standing nearby, chimed in with a grim realization. "Captain, it's possible that the Draco Separatists were using this base as a staging ground for their operations. The Starlight may have evacuated its personnel as we approached. The patrol boat fired on us with very little provocation, which probably means they were keeping us occupied to waste time. " he suggested, his voice somber as he considered the implications.

Captain Rael nodded in agreement, her expression resolute. "We cannot allow the Draco Separatists to regroup and threaten innocent lives again. We will transmit a fully detailed report and the coordinates of the base to Navy High Command. They'll want to investigate further," she ordered, her voice firm as she made her decision.

With all the hostages aboard and their mission concluded, Captain Kara Rael gave the order to set course for Draco III, the nearest outpost where they could report their findings to High Command and begin the next phase of their mission.

In Engineering, Lieutenant Katlina Komarov wasted no time in rallying her team to assess the damage sustained during the intense battle and to initiate repairs on the Sentinel's systems. With a sense of purpose and determination, the engineers set to work, their expertise and skill essential in ensuring the frigate's continued functionality.

OOC:

End of thread. Let's start Chapter 5!

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