[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression

[Dorian Drake]

Feeling exhilarated and invulnerable Dorian drew his kindjals, turned on his shield belt, and taunted the approaching thopters. Let them come down and fight him like warriors.

While he stood out in the spice slurry, his companions messing about with the thopter, Dorian flashed back to Ginaz, remembering the pride he felt the first time he made it through the shield wall, the first time he had endured the gauntlet, and the first time he had killed a man in service to his liege, slowly sliding his blade into the man's heart.

He would not let these Harkonnen scavengers belittle his pride as a swordmaster or his duty to House Mutelli.

[Ahmina]

Ahmina squinted at the weaponry the crafts carried...and smiled

While the group likely got the attention of the incoming force she pulled her cloak tight and rolled in the sticky spice to blend in with the patch

[Cuyler Gray]

She looked over everything carefully, trying to discern what needed cleaning the most. Cleaning out the spice made her nervous, but it had to be done.


- - -
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Thopter Cleaning, Understand (6)/Duty (7), Deductive Reasoning/Attention to Detail?: 2#1d20 4 14

2 Successes I believe

She kept looking, determined to get everything she could. The others were depending on her.

- - -
“People are the true strength of a Great House.”
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Thopter Cleaning, Understand (6)/Duty (7), Deductive Reasoning/Attention to Detail, Determination Rerolling "14": 1d20 5

[Kannon]

[+1 Scene Momentum]

For Cuyler, this exposure was different. It was hard to tell that she'd developed a tolerance, the spice was still doing something to her biochemistry that she neither controlled nor comprehended, and at an astonishingly pervasive speed, but there was no loss of her ability to steer her mind's attention, and her senses still hooked into the reality of space rather than just plunge fully into the reality of time. She'd found the spot in which the spice would impede the flap action at the base of the wing not because she knew how thopters are built but because she could envision not a hypothetical thopter in motion, but this very thopter in motion. For a moment she 'saw' the tilt as they had/did/would pick up. The sense of 'when' was elusive, only secondary memories helped her determine that this was yet to happen in a future that wouldn't because she'd prevented it. Was she prescient, or was she merely understanding the chain of cause and consequences better, just a better version of her deductive reasoning? In the end, was this... not the same thing?

[Kannon]

Feeling exhilarated and invulnerable Dorian drew his kindjals, turned on his shield belt, and taunted the approaching thopters. Let them come down and fight him like warriors.

While he stood out in the spice slurry, his companions messing about with the thopter, Dorian flashed back to Ginaz, remembering the pride he felt the first time he made it through the shield wall, the first time he had endured the gauntlet, and the first time he had killed a man in service to his liege, slowly sliding his blade into the man's heart.

He would not let these Harkonnen scavengers belittle his pride as a swordmaster or his duty to House Mutelli.

Seconds after Dorian was spotted, two thopters fell to the side along with the carryall, but the biggest one turned their own shields on and launched something in the swordmaster's direction. There was no attempt at establishing communications whatsoever. There wasn't even time for Dorian to be disabused of the sense of superiority in this particular encounter as the missile hit the area where he stood, exploding it, digging a crater in the salty bed, sending white-orange-blue debris all across. The shield fended off the outburst of energy from reaching the Swordmaster's body, but him as an object was thrown well away, tumbling, rolling. The shield itself sizzled and gave away, its power source being depleted by this single attack of the tactical weaponry. Dorian could add surviving a missile to his long list of battle credentials.

[Structured time!]
[Players' Turn!]

[Cuyler Gray]

"Dorian!"

Cuyler moved quickly to help the swordsman to his feet and back to the thopter.

- - -
Moving Subtly

[Kannon]

[This is Move 2]

[Cuyler Gray]

She was not as swift as she had hoped.


- - -
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Move (5)/Duty (7): 2#1d20 13 10

[Bomilcar Thorvald]

There was no way that she was moving him alone so he moved alongside Cuyler to provide cover and assistance

[Kannon]

She was not as swift as she had hoped.


- - -
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Move (5)/Duty (7): 2#1d20 13 10

Her raid to get Dorian only distracted the others, just enough for the carryall to get out of the range of whatever lasguns the auditors could have had. Which in reality meant the Sardaukar.

[Carryall to adjacent zone]

[Kannon]

There was no way that she was moving him alone so he moved alongside Cuyler to provide cover and assistance

[Acting right after another PC requires Keeping the Initiative. You can do it once before another enemy turn. The thopter is on the ground, everyone except from Bom is at a distance from it.]

[Bomilcar Thorvald]

Bom thinks and acts quickly as he can. He thinks better of chasing down Dorian and Cuyler and instead slips into the thopter, to activate it's shield and take off. Those missiles would likely destroy their only way out and then the other thopters would just be able to fly off and leave the group to die. This way they stood a better chance and he might draw the attention of the enemy so they stopped firing at the group.

[3 threat, 2 for keeping the initiative, 1 for make haste talent]

[Kannon]

To their advantage, this force was probably as surprised by their presence as the auditors were. The other thopters didn't seem to have any conventional firepower as Fremen never used Shields. One of the covered the Sands with laser cover fire, perhaps chancing at hitting any hidden opponents, and fell back to protect the spice expedition.

[2 Threat to create an Intangible Asset: Cover Fire; Move Out]

[Sardaukar will take the next turn.]

[Kannon]

The son of Salusa Secundus saw an opportunity and took it. Split-second later and he'd have killed them all, but he had timed it exactly and acted without a shade of hesitation. A lasbeam flared from the mound that looked natural and cut through the smaller thopter about to fall back, using the cover fire to its partial advantage.

SMR6. Tha Shot. 8/8. 2 dice bought. Decisive. Focus.: 4#1d20 15 5 14 14

[5 successes vs. 4 required, 1 momentum returned]

He cut the wing off neatly, setting the craft in a reverted spin that hit the large one! It bounced off its shields, but caught the unshielded rear where the las turret was mounted, and tore it away!

[2 more Threat for Decisive Action, took a bonus Asset away.]

The craft tumbled to the ground from an altitude of about forty metres but didn't explode just yet!

[Players`' turn until the end of the round.]

[Ahmina]

"Leave! I will remain"

She would use the cover of the barrage and the crashing thopter to move forward without drawing the eye

[Kannon]

"Leave! I will remain"

She would use the cover of the barrage and the crashing thopter to move forward without drawing the eye

[A formality: Move Subtly]

[Ahmina]

"Leave! I will remain"

She would use the cover of the barrage and the crashing thopter to move forward without drawing the eye

[A formality: Move Subtly]

(Yes)

[Dorian Drake]

Dorian leapt to his feet, not an easy task given the slick sludge beneath them and the fact he was just blown back by a missile explosion. His blood was boiling, perhaps from the attack or perhaps from the ambient temperatures. Disregarding the friendly thopter, he charged towards the downed craft.

[Kannon]

[Ahmina: Autopass because Nimble.]

[Dorian: Move Boldly or just Move?]

[Dorian Drake]

-----
SMR6, Come At Me, Bold, Move 6 + Faith 6, TN12: 2#1d20 9 15
Failed 1 success vs 2 difficulty, they get to move an asset

[Kannon]

-----
SMR6, Come At Me, Bold, Move 6 + Faith 6, TN12: 2#1d20 9 15
Failed 1 success vs 2 difficulty, they get to move an asset

Whoever was piloting the big thopter noticed the intention. Their response was to lock the remaining laser beam... at the fallen thopter. It wasn't too precise as the machine was still rattled from the impact, but the ray raked across the sand until the fallen thopter exploded in flames. Dorian's lack of pace probably saved his life. This running in carnage from above was frustrating. If only he had someone he could face in a duel...!

---

Round 2

[Spending 2 Threat to go first.]

Having left no witnesses to be captured, the superior thopter rushed toward Bom with the apparent intent to ram into it with its armoured beak, shield against shield! This was certainly unorthodox, but viable in principle, an aerial instantiation of a duel! But what was the slow tip?

[Bom: Contested Move (for dodging) or Battle (for clashing). You have Quality 1 Thopter.]

[Bomilcar Thorvald]

Bom does his best to apply what he knows of using shields in combat to avoid any direct hits from the other thopter, relying on the Sardaurkar and his their occasional collisions to wear down the enemy shield hopefully. He wasn't sure how this was going to work. It was something he'd never done before.

D6 SMR, Dodging, Move + Justice, Focus: Shield Combat, TN 11, Crit 5, +1 threat for die: 3#1d20 5 10 12
3 successes, +1 threat
Make Haste: +1 complication, +1 success

[Kannon]

[Bom's defence: 2 (Asset Q1) + 4 Successes + 1 (Protector) = 7]

SMR6. Battle/Power 7/8. No Focus. 3 Threat. Last die is Bold reroll if one of the latter 2 doesn't give success.: 5#1d20 12 1 1 11 3

[6 Successes + 2 (Asset Q2) +1 (Brutal and Vicious) = 9]

Bomilcar was doing all the right things despite little experience in defending in such a circumstance; the enemy, however, was insidious and brutal, pressing every advantage he could, and that was both in great, predatory skill and in superior craft. When they windshields came close, despite the shimmering of the Holtzman effect, Bomilcar saw the other pilot's face in its beastly, bloodthirsty grin.



[Complication: Steering Controls Jam]

Bounced, the Count's thopter thudded into the ground from which it hadn't been able to rise too high. The shield took most of the impact and the wings didn't break, but Bom felt the hard landing. It might have been softer had the controls not locked at the last moment from manoeuvring strain. The superior thopter passed just above, at perhaps 15 metres above ground.

[Extended Wound Track for Bom: 3/7 (Battle)]

[Players's Turn]

[Cuyler Gray]

There was little Cuyler could do other than watch. So, she did. She took it all in, trying to understand what was happening around her. Unfortunately, she was also surrounded by spice.

- - -
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Understand (6), Truth (8), Observe, Attention to Detail or Deductive Reasoning: 2#1d20 8 19

[Kannon]

There was little Cuyler could do other than watch. So, she did. She took it all in, trying to understand what was happening around her. Unfortunately, she was also surrounded by spice.

- - -
[D6 SMR] Anxiety over Depression, Understand (6), Truth (8), Observe, Attention to Detail or Deductive Reasoning: 2#1d20 8 19

[Constantly watching applies.]

Lasguns. So rare on other worlds because of sub-atomic prohibition, so prolific here, only because shields were not expected. When shield-on-shield happened, there was not enough weaponry for a clean shootout. So why the Fremen wouldn't use the shields against the Harkonnen? Certainly they could acquire them if they really wanted, it was a common enough technology. There must have been something about shields that made them far less useful on Arrakis than elsewhere. Storms could certainly short them, but that wasn't a sufficient reason. So what was it?

Whatever the reason was, they had already unwittingly disregarded it here. Dorian had turned on his before it was depleted by explosion, and now the one on their thopter was shimmering on the ground again. Did shields in the open desert bring about any consequences to their carriers? It likely was something unique to this planet, something even the Fremen would avoid...

What was it that she was hearing in a distance with her spice-charged hyperaware hearing?