Massacre at Umbobo Station [Laserburn]

The Bwendi Bugle

The Truth Shall Make Ye Feer

News is just coming in of an assault on Umbobo Station in Mpele Province. Two gangs of Albion Symps have attacked the station, massacred the police troopers stationed there and stolen a consignment of valuable organs worth thousands on the black market. The whole are was littered with bodies. Initial reports say that four of the five troopers were found dead at the scene. Sergeant Friendly of the Police Sentinels lived long enough to tell a terrible tale of murder and treachery before she too died.

The perps drove up in two trucks from Natongo town and immediately murdered Officer Nicey, who was on guard. The other officers sought to arm themselves before confronting the villains, who were busily searching the supplies for their loot. Officer Lovely was first out of the door and managed to immobilise two of the gang members before being gunned down. One of the villains then burst into the barracks and gunned Officer Smashey down before he was immobilised by Sergeant Friendly.

Sergeant Friendly and Officer Super leapt out of the barracks to confront the remaining villains, only to find the villains firing on each other. Between them they accounted for two more of the villains before themselves being gunned down.

Forensic officers at the scene report that military spec technology was used including a Vortex Grenade that demolished a building and a tree. With such weaponry being used the perps must have been sponsored by the Albion Defence Force and it is odd that they seem to have turned on each other when they could. Investigators hope to find out more from the one living perp that was left at the scene. This man has been identified as Ezra Betterware a small-time crook. He is currently in intensive care at Sea Prison and will be questioned when he comes to. Two of his known associates, Esther DeVries and John Waldorf, were also found dead at the scene. A worldwide manhunt is now on for their other associate John Statler, who is thought to have been driving one of the trucks. If you see this man do not approach him. He is armed and dangerous.

Satellite imagery shown below shows another gang of four people, all of whom escaped in a stolen militia truck. They have not yet been identified. If you think you know them call our tips hotline on 5150-BAG-A-PERP.

(Click the images for larger versions)












The Scenario:
Mpele province is a real backwoods area of Bwendi Prime. It is sparsely populated and is known mainly for the logging industry in that area. As a result, it lacks many amenities but is generally peaceful. What it does have is a widely scattered series of automated hospitals staffed only by a small security team and a doctor whose function is mainly to keep the Autodoc in good repair. Each month new supplies are flown in to the hospitals and these include valuable organs that could be sold on the black market for a small fortune. You have decided that this sort of easy target will provide you with easy pickings and a means to improve your social status. So you have chosen Umbobo Station, which lies nearest to your hometown of Natongo and you have stolen a truck to get you there. Now all you have to do is intimidate the half dozen security guards and steal all the good stuff before police reinforcements can show. Next stop the big time. No more tagging and casual vandalism for you.

The Gangs
Each gang has 2000 Credits to spend on troops and equipment. You can only take four or five figures in total, because you need space in the truck for the supplies that you are about to steal. You do not have to pay for the truck.

The Police
One officer starts standing guard at the gate to the compound. The others are in the barracks building. No police officer will do anything until after the first shot has been fired, at which point they may now act freely. The points value of the police should be based on how many gangs there are. If there is only one gang, the police get 2000 Credits to field 4 or 5 officers. For each gang over one, add 500 Credits to the police budget. In a multi-player game the police are there to be an annoyance more than anything else. It is expected that the gangs will provide the main opposition to each other. We used the basic equipment listed for colonial police in Forces of the Imperium.

Set-up
We used a 4' by 3' table for two gangs. 4' by 4' would probably work well with 3 or 4 gangs. All gangs enter from off the table.

The table should have a lot of cover scattered around. Umbobo Station should be in the centre of the board, equidistant from all starting points. It has 6 piles of supplies lying around it. To find the organs, the gangers must search the supplies. It takes one full turn of uninterrupted searching to be allowed to roll to find them. Roll 1d6. If it is a 6 then the organs are in that supply pile. If the organs have not been found and only one supply pile remains, then they will be in it. There are four crates of organs in the pile. Each crate is equivalent to carrying a heavy weapon and requires two hands, so figures must drop the crate if they wish to shoot or melee.

Winning the Game
The winner is the gang that escapes with the most crates. Each crate is worth 500 Credits. Experience is awarded normally.

The Truck
Acceleration: 5m per turn
Deceleration: 10m per turn
Turning circle: Half current move distance
Armour: Mesh
Carrying capacity: 1 driver and 2 passengers in the front. 6 spaces in the back. Each space holds either one figure or one crate.

Day 1 Vatresh- Miroslav

My initial feelings on re-entering the ancestral Traladian city of Vatresh were not admittedly good. Having to hand over my weapons to some city guard is a sorry situation and demonstrative of the yoke that the Thyatians have over my people. Our backs are so bent to these people that we think nothing of these oppressive laws that lessen our rights to protect ourselves and make us reliant on foreign laws and customs rather than our own metal. But such are the days that we live in and so the gods have decreed we must live- we must have offended them deeply at some point in our past! Ha!

Despite this I was grateful for the inn, good food and the comfy bed to rest my head on. Sadly I was too weary to find the company of a soft woman and beauty of the Traladians to share it with!

Come the next morn I was eager to take care of some affairs and so bind farewell to my companions, who also had their own chores that day. I went to the local bath house and took the time for a good cleaning and relaxing. These are the areas the local business class does their business and I hope to make some contacts there. I was fortunate enough to make the aquaintance of a small group of such men- Boris Borisov and his son Boris, Bardus Tadmor and some foreigner Clifton Caldwell. I seemed to have made a good impression as they invited me to dine with them later tonight at the Grey Unicorn. Tadmor was a Thyladian timber merchant and seemed a good enough man. Caldwell was new to the area but obviously a man of means and a possible good contact to have as he has contacts from outside the area and thus access to rare or unusual goods. It offended me that he had bought up some manor house/castle in the area, probably one of the old Traladarian nobles buildings fallen into disrepair through heavy taxes or stolen from it's rightful owners. I held my tongue however and took it as a further example of the need to build a fortune as this is what gives a man power with these dogs not the true character of a man or strength. Still they were good company and decent men. Caldwell offered the group a job clearing this castle, which I said that I would consider and ask my companions.

Following this meeting and with promises to meet up to dine in the evening I retired to see if I could get this blue liquid we had aquired in the Tor looked at and identified. I went to see one Kasmira Milosava as she had a good Traladian name. However I was not impressed by the lack lustre way of her household or the prices she wanted for identifying- 100 Royals seems a tremendous amount for an item given that the money Caldwell had offered to clear his castle was 100 Royals! Quite possibly this would even go over the value of the liquid itself! Either she clearly does not want the business or Caldwell is underchanging for his job. I shall make further enquiries around Vartesh in the meantime for now however I prepare myself to dine this evening, putting on my finest clothing.

Breccia in Threshold

After a rather interesting few days with my new companions in a Tor outside of Threshold, I feel that we can be a good set of companions given the time to get to know each other. My companions seem willing to risk themselves for each other, a trait I was not aware Humansd really understood, (they do not live underground were looking out for others is second nature otherwise the earth takes you).

Lacrimos is a snorer another trait I was not aware of. Dwarves make no noise at night we sleep like the grave.

I have done my errands in Threshold and am happy to see such a busy place though I do miss my mines and people. It seems we may have a job offer. I think this will be a good idea as we need the money at the moment. I will leave the glands to be prepared and collect5 them later.

So with employment in the offing I am content to explore the town and listen to the town folks' gossip

Characters of Threshold

Slug - an alchemist on Fogor's Isle
Clifton Caldwell - an outlander merchant who has purchased the Old Antilles Castle
Boris Borisov - a haulier
Boris Borisov - Boris Borisov's soon-to-be-sheared son
Bardas Tadmor - a timber merchant
Kasmira Milosova - a magic-user living in North Threshold
Vladimir - Kasmira Milosova's apprentice, a gangly and awkward-looking young man
unnamed - Kasmira Milosova's servant, an elderly Traladaran lady
Janacek - an inn-owner
Sergeant Arthol - head of the town guard
Sindar - an Elven merchant

5 Thaumont 1000AC - a day on the town

Right after breakfast the group splits up and heads off to different parts of Threshold. Miroslav is dressed like a moderately wealthy merchant as he departs. The others fare abroad in the town wearing rather battered but still acceptable clothes. The day passes without bumping into each other and all return to Janacek's in the early evening. When they do, Lacrimos introduces everyone to Callinicus Burtzes, a novice of the Church of Karameikos, who has agreed to travel with the group in return for the group tithing 10% of its loot to the Church of Karameikos and paying him a fee of 4 Royals per month plus his bed and board while travelling away from Threshold. Callinicus seems very keen to travel with the group.