Lets Play - Falcon 1: Renegade Lord

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Aug 14, 2017 2:15 pm

Psychic powers activate!

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Aug 14, 2017 2:58 pm

Go-go-gadget psychic awareness!

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:54 pm

125
To your consternation you cannot reach through to his mind, instead you feel the interference effect of a Psionic Damper helmet. This is a recent invention of the Hivers. Do you
Order him to stay where he is?
Wait for him to join you outside Falcon's Wing?

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:28 pm

I don't think he has any honest reason to wear that thing here…

If we order him to stop, he's likely to start shooting.

If we wait, we'd have better chances of neutralizing him hand-to-hand, but I'm afraid the book will tell us he took us by surprise as we're not specifically said to be on our guards…

So I think the less risky move is to order him to stop.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Aug 14, 2017 7:44 pm

Yeah, order.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 2:49 am

ashimbabbar wrote:If we wait, we'd have better chances of neutralizing him hand-to-hand, but I'm afraid the book will tell us he took us by surprise as we're not specifically said to be on our guards…

For this reason my vote is to check whether waiting leads to the same section number as if we didn't use our psychic powers. If it does, order him to stop. If it leads to a new section, then presumably our powers gave us an advantage, so let him get close.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 2:46 pm

It does lead to a different section, but 2 votes for ordering:

[score a C]
He goes for his laser rifle, but with superb reactions and the skill of a trained combateer you draw your blaster and fire first.
Make an Attack Roll.
If you score 6-12...rolles a 6 and 4, so I did.

A brilliant white bolt of burning plasma takes your would-be assassin in the chest, knocking him backwards and taking his life as it melts through his armour. You kneel by him as a security droid arrives. Seeing signs of life in his eyes, though he is beyond help, you ask who sent him to kill you. 'One of the Lords ...' His words are choked off by a rattling cough as the blood from his lungs begins to spill from his mouth and death takes him. You may take his Psionic Damper Circlet, if you wish. Add it to your Agent Profile.
The security droid comes towards you, its stun-lance aimed, and you hand over your identification and report what happened. A message appears in red on the screen set in the droid's chest. 'ID Passed. Your story coincides with videographic evidence. A report will be filed. Please continue your business,' and it begins to drag the body of your assailant out of the bay

336
The scanner light above your head is now green and you are drawn up by invisible Tractor Beams into the relative safety of Falcon's Wing. Sitting in the crash couch you consider what to do next. You have no information as to the whereabouts of Creche 82282 but some about the other Lords. What will you do:
Try to follow Lord Speke into the past?
Follow Lord Kirik to Kelados, 3033 AD?
Ask CAIN where Silvermane is?
Quickly contact Lord Pilota by holophone?
Or if you are wounded and would rather spend two hours in your Autodoc now then carry on later

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:03 pm

take the Circlet, it could help when we face whoever the rogue Timelord is. Plus, loot !
Also, it can't hurt to ask about Silvermane.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 12:14 pm

Yeah, no harm in getting more information before we start our time-travel trip. Ask about Silvermane.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 12:23 pm

320
CAIN links to the Eiger Vault Service Computer and reports that Lord Silvermane is leaving the Vault and heading for the hovrail embarkation point. Will you:
Leave your Time Machine and follow Lord Silvermane?
If you prefer not to follow him, return to 336 and choose again.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:06 pm

Nah...

Incidentally, that Psionic dampener was said to be of Hiver make. So right now, 2 more suspicious points raised about Creche:

1) That guard wearing a helmet made by their folks.

2) The fact that we can't pick them as our first target to track. I think the book is designed in such a way that we can't catch the real culprit early, so to me Creche's suspect status just raised by 1 rank.

Anyway, I vote to contact Pilota next. I don't suspect her, but I think it'd be great if we can possibly gain her help in this matter.

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:30 pm

gaining Pilota's help would be a bonus, but
1/ do we have enough yet to convince her it's Timelord business ? She doesn't appear to take her duties very seriously
2/ maybe I'm overthinking it, but it could cause her to do something that would help the bad guys and/or get herself killed.

I'd be in favor of following Silvermane

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 4:31 am

I'd contact Pilota. She doesn't take things seriously but I don't think she'll give anything away to the others if she didn't tell anyone about us probing her thoughts.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 5:04 am

331
You call up the Free Fall Recreation Centre at Spiro's Ringworld, a massive wheel-like world-in-miniature, orbiting earth. Their holo-coordinator seems to appear in your Time Machine. She is a striking girl, her skin tinted blue with orange flashes. She puts you through to Lord Pilota's personal assistant. He is a bony, hollow-cheeked man, showing signs of the Medawar Syndrome, the onset of rapid ageing. You identify yourself and ask for Her Lordship and the hologram winks out momentarily When the holo-picture of the assistant reappears, he says, 'Lord Pilota is temporarily indisposed. Under no circumstances may she be contacted at the moment. If you would care to visit Spiro's Ringworld, however, she will be pleased to grant you immediate audience, as she believes she has some information which may interest you, as an Agent of the TIME Police.' With that, he breaks contact and the blue-skinned coordinator informs you that the line has been closed to all callers and asks, 'What is that weird space ship you're in?' CAIN informs you that by requisitioning a shuttle from the Eiger Base you could dock at Spiro's Ringworld in eighteen minutes. Ignoring the holo-coordinator, do you:
Set off for Spiro's Ringworld?
Choose another course?

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 7:20 am

I think it's a trap

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:52 am

I vote to check out this lead.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Aug 20, 2017 4:51 am

it's probably a trap, but we might as well risk springing it and check out this lead.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sun Aug 20, 2017 1:44 pm

335
Through CAIN you order that a shuttle be prepared for your trip to Spiro's Ringworld and waste no time. You run from the doors of the Vault across the launch bay to the small, dart-shaped shuttle with its huge, ungainly drive vents, each as large as the cabin. The navigational computer is already set as you strap into the Acceleration Web behind the pilot. With a flash of light the Ion Drive fires and you are accelerated sickeningly quickly. This is a Navy pilot - she has never flown civilian craft. Minutes later the Docking Computer locks onto the Ringworld, a glittering disc twenty miles across, turning silently in space and the deceleration is equally unpleasant. As you step out into the air-lock, the pilot turns and smiles, 'You stood that well -you must be fit.' You ask her to stand by for your return journeyand enter the Ringworld.
Lord Pilota's assistant meets you as you emerge from the air- lock and, helping you into a jet pack, points up into the empty centre of the so-called Ringworld. You are standing on the inside rim of the disc which is rotating quickly enough to produce a gravity not far below that of Earth's. Looking up, you see the tops of the buildings, twenty miles away on the opposite side of the Rim. The assistant explains that Lord Pilota is in the gravity free zone, or free fall area, in the centre of the disc, half way to the other rim. You blast off with him confidently enough, and head for the centre of the rimworld. As you approach you see Lord Pilota, spinning slowly, head over heels, apparently at ease without the hydraulic exoskeleton she uses in Earth gravity. With a shock you realise that you cannot adapt easily to free fall and accidentally cannon into her, sending you both towards the other rim. She steadies you easily and with two deft jet-pack blasts returns you to a stationary position in free fall. She speaks, her voice high-pitched in the thin air. 'Falcon, you've come all this way to see me. Why? What is so important?'
Will you:
Accuse her of trying to change the past?
Tell her that a Lord of TIME has been interfering with the Timelines and ask for help?
Ask if she has information for you?

There is a picture here

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Sun Aug 20, 2017 1:59 pm

Obviously accusing her is the wrong idea ( unless the author has her confessing tearfully… )

The obvious thing to do is to ask for info as 1/ that's what she asked us to come for 2/ I don't think we have anything solid against a TIMELord

But maybe it's TOO obvious, maybe she wants to see if we think what she thinks and are no rulebound drone.

I'm not sure, but half a vote for telling her about the rogue Lord ( though I may change it if convinced otherwise )

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Aug 20, 2017 3:18 pm

If it were any of the other lords, I'd just ask if they had information for us. But Pilota seems like she likes bold questions so tell her about the rogue Lord of TIME.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:43 am

I don't think we should spill everything yet. Pilota's PA told us she has information for us, but Pilota herself doesn't seem to be expecting us. I trust her, but I suspect there might be spies around her.

Ask her about that information first. That should confirm if the PA was lying to us.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Mon Aug 21, 2017 1:43 pm

391
You tell Pilota of your mission and she says, her voice high-pitched in the thin air, 'And I am the prime suspect? I suppose you realise that if a Lastlander such as I interfered with Earth's past I might very well cease to exist. We are Earther colonials after all.' You reply calmly, 'No, you are not my prime suspect/ your voice similarly distorted. It is difficult to tell under these conditions, but Pilota's dilated pupils suggest she may be using a mild relaxant drug. She continues, however, 'I noticed yesterday that somebody with a high Security Clearance has spent much time researching the history of Earth around the Timehole of 1241 AD. A very great deal of time, according to the Central Library tog.'
Remo, Pilota's assistant intervenes, saying,'Lord Pilota has been under stress, the failed attempt to travel in the future...' He indicates that the audience is at an end. You thank Pilota for herhelp and return to the shuttle. Within thirty minutes you are back in front of the console of your Time Machine. If you have seen a man in golden armour called Iskander, turn to 114. If you have seen a Phocian pirate, turn to 34. If you have seen neither of these, do you:
Try to follow Lord Speke into the past?
Follow Lord Kirik to Kelados in 3033 AD?
Move back into the Timehole that exists in 1241 AD, the time of the mongols?
Spend some time in your Autodoc?

ashimbabbar · Post by **ashimbabbar** » Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:48 pm

Mongols. Mongols are awesome. Nothing can go wrong with mongols.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:41 am

All three routes are interesting, but the other 2 (Speke and Kirik) have been listed muktiple times while I'm afraid the Mongolian option might not be available if we don't take it now.

Also, I'm afraid the Speke option may have us assuming that he's gone to ancient Greek when he's may not be really there.

Kirik may have some useful info for us if my suspicions are correct, but since I don't suspect him to be the actual renegade (which means whatever he's doing in Kelados is probably harmless), I think he can wait.

So yeah, Mongolia.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:43 pm

414
You instruct CAIN to turn on the Variac Drive to shift you into null-space and to re-engage the Drive as soon as you have finished inputting the navigational co-ordinates for the Timehole on Earth, 1241 AD. Your scalp tingles slightly as the Time Machine moves out of phase, and everything around you seems grey and insubstantial. You know that should you turn on the outside camera the screen would remain blank, not even blackness exists in null-space. You cast your thoughts into the void and, using your Psychic Awareness, locate the Timehole on Earth 1241. When you have translated this location into co-ordinates for CAIN, the Variac Drive engages once more. The process of re-emerging in real time is immediate, but seems to take about an hour for you. You may spend this time in the Autodoc, if you wish and gain up to 12 Endurance points. The outside camera begins to swivel, showing you the land all around. Behind you is a forest, shrouded in snow, and the hologram generator disguises Falcon's Wing as part of this forest. You are on high ground and to the right you can see a village with a few stone dwellings and many wattle and daub huts, their thatched roofs laden with snow. Ahead, the frosted ground falls away into a wide river valley. The river is frozen over, but you can plainly see its graceful curves stretching to a large walled city a few miles away. Here and there on the plain you can see parties of horsemen riding swiftly. You ask CAIN for some historical information. CAIN responds. 'It is winter, 1241 AD. The city you see is Vienna and the river, the Danube. The mongol horde led by the general, Subatai, has conquered Russia and Poland, and defeated a western army at Liegnitz, before overrunning Hungary. They are a few miles from Vienna, poised to ravage the rest of Europe. Their ruler is Ogedai, son of Ghengis Khan. He will die within the next few days and when the news reaches the Golden Horde, they must, under Ghengis Khan's code of law, the Yasa, return to the mongol capital, Karakorum, to decide who will succeed him. Vienna will not fall and Europe will be saved.' You break in, 'And if Ogedai should live?' CAIN continues, The likelihood is that Europe would be overrun and the Timelines changed beyond recognition. Civilisation would be set back a thousand years.' You decide to investigate the area for signs of another Time Machine and CAIN programmes the Molecular Converter to produce the clothes of a Viennese peasant: a sackcloth tunic, woollen leggings and hooded cloak, which you put on over your uniform. You step out into the fresh clean air.

You walk along the edge of the forest towards the village; curls of smoke wind up from the holes in the roofs of the cottages and huts. As you approach it, your holo-detector picks up a hologram - a Time Machine has been disguised as trees. Your Psychic Awareness catches a thought as if you have discovered somebody doing something they shouldn't. Abort reconnaissance you sense next. There is a click and a hiss as of a hatch opening and closing and a group of nearby trees wink out abruptly. A metre-long metal canister rolls down from the bank on which the Time Machine had stood. You run towards it and recognise it as a nuclear bomb. The digits on the timer are ticking past, like an old-fashioned 20th century fruit machine. The symbols an foreign but you guess that all of the red stars will be in line within about thirty seconds. The nuclear device appears to be of standard design and is capable of destroying Vienna and most life-forms within twenty miles of this spot. This would change history beyond recognition. As you watch, another of the red stars clicks into place on the DETONATE line. The dials click forward one space at a time and when the middle star has clicked forward three times the three stars will be lined up on the DETONATE line and the bomb will explode. Each of the three dials has three buttons above it with which you can manually move the dials 1, 2 or 3 positions onward but you don't know which button is which. You press the buttons above the two dials whose stars are on the DETONATE line, but they are locked. You will have to move the star on the middle dial to the DISARM position without pressing a button that will make it stop on the DETONATE line. Which button do you press:

The top button?
The centre button?
The bottom button?

There is a diagram here