Heavy Metal Thunder Read online

  Not entirely convinced, you still somehow endure the unendurable. But survival can be a nightmare: You temporarily lose 1 point from your Will stat. However, if your Will has already dropped to zero, then you lose 2 Blood instead.

  Turn to section 556.

  214

  On your way to the dock command station, you pass by the main computer station, where you originally watched the video feed of the Invader ship fighting your own. You glance inside. You see empty food wrappers that weren’t there before, probably left by the manager. You wonder if he will come back, and even consider waiting for him so you can beat the crap out of him. But you don’t have time to wait, as the deconstructors could destroy the backup generator at any moment, ruining any chance of getting fuel from the lines. However...

  If you have a Motion-Sensitive Bomb, you could set it and leave it for the manager in case he comes back, by turning to section 61.

  If you do not have such an item, continue on to the dock command station by turning to section 347.

  215

  Suddenly the guard rounds a bend in the far hallway. He is covered in blood; how much of it is his, you do not know. He shines his light on you. You can just make out that he is armed with a thick lead pipe. He suddenly kicks off from a wall and flies toward you, screaming, “YOU! GIMME THAT GODDAMN SUIT, YOU COWAAAARD!”

  If you have a gun and at least one bullet, you can fire at him by turning to section 486.

  If you wish to draw a hand-to-hand weapon and beat his ass silly, turn to section 107.

  Otherwise, you can take him down with your bare hands by turning to section 23.

  216

  You draw your knife and, as the man swings his rifle wildly, you run into him, jamming the knife into his gut. He shrieks louder still as you follow through with your charge, slamming him into a wall. You raise your free arm, hold his neck against the wall, then jam the knife into his gut over and over. He grows limp and pale and you release him. He falls to the floor, twitching in a pool of his own blood.

  Turn to section 530.

  217

  “What are you damn dogs climbing on this thing for anyway?” you say. “Men are ascended from apes, not you.” You aim the gun. “I think it’s time to be reminded who runs the food chain around here.”

  You blast one dog square in the chest. It cartwheels into the pack. They thrash about violently, tossing several into the void. You shoot into the chaotic jumble and more fly off the side. Subtract 2 Handgun bullets from your inventory.

  While the dogs regroup, you dive under the pillar and push through the rubble. You hear several dogs jump down into the room behind you. You rise to your knees on the far side of the pillar. You feel ahead in the darkness and find a control panel. You pull a small emergency latch and an unseen door opens, flooding the chamber with light. You enter and shut the door behind you. The barking of the dogs disappears suddenly.

  You have survived your encounter with the dogs: Gain 2 XP.

  Turn to section 187.

  218

  You strike, and the guard crumples upon himself, flies through the air, and slams into your supplies. Red oozes from his ruined head, encircling him like a halo of blood. You gain 2 XP for killing the guard.

  Turn to section 562.

  219

  You walk the cold grey halls until you come to the entrance to the deck. Two bulky armed guards stop you. One says, “Authorized personnel only, dipshit. One-eighty.”

  If your Charisma is 4 or more and you want to try to talk your way in, turn to section 268.

  If you wish to tell them that you’re the guy who flew solo through space to return to the Penelope’s Vengeance with a warning, turn to section 235.

  If you would rather go find the engine room and check it out, turn to section 272.

  If you would rather check out the lounge, turn to section 545.

  If you want to go straight to the supply room, turn to section 410.

  220

  Your awareness seems to fragment as the sense of impending doom grows and feeds back into you, replacing the blood in your heart with pure darkness. Slowly you reach behind yourself, grasp your black helm, and pull it down over your head.

  You feel movement around you, then words are cut off as you close the dark visor over your face with a loud clunk. A voice is muffled; you cannot concern yourself with anyone else; you feel as if all others are already dead except you. You stand rigid, dumb and immobile.

  The unthinkable happens. One window of the ship shatters, blows outward, you see boxes and gear fly free, you are tossed but grasp some metal hinge. A large box slams into the opening, sealing the vacuum off, but before you come to a rest on the ground you see the metal just in front of your face explode inward as something from the outside pierces it, then the vacuum sucks against the ship again. Chaos before you, someone’s limbs flailing, objects crashing against one another.

  As you haul yourself towards an exit, two more holes are blasted into the side of the ship and you know that a sniper is attacking from a hideout on one of the asteroids. As the vacuum churns within the Narrenschiff you clamber into a small depressurization chamber, lock the door behind you, then kick open the exit door. Darkness lies before you and you blast your jets on full throttle. All is silent, but the kick of the jet behind you is a roar of freedom in your blood, a freedom from all ties as you leave behind the fantasy world of soft things and enter into the dance of death with which you have become familiar.

  A sniper in the service of the Invaders waits for you on one of the asteroids. Now, finally, you will face the true enemy. And one of you will die.

  You gain 1 XP for the use of your skill. Turn to section 247.

  221

  “There’s no point in doing this!” you say. “I’m not giving up the suit, and this labor-bot is just going to crush me and the suit to a pulp - if you can control it that well. Be reasonable, man, and use the next few minutes before the station is destroyed to think of your own way out of here!”

  “Give up the suit,” says the manager, maneuvering the giant robot toward you. “Give me the suit, and then you can think of another way out of here.”

  If your Charisma is 2 or more, you can keep trying to talk to him by turning to section 306.

  If your Intelligence is 3 or more, you can use that big brain of yours to argue with the manager by turning to section 125.

  If you are skilled in the use of Computers, you can use this Skill against the robot by turning to section 426.

  If your Stats are not this high, or you do not have this Skill, then you will have to fight or evade the robot. Turn to section 5.

  222

  “Number Thirteen! You no-name sumbitch!” Commander Uther says over the com-link. “Where the hell are you?!”

  “I was, uh -”

  “Nevermind! If you’re still alive, form up. We’re going to hit that ship.”

  In the distance, you see the seven lights of your comrades break away from the melee. The Invader ship seems very far away, and you know that its lasers can create a no-man’s-land for infantry. Your helm beeps and you glance back at the Penelope’s Vengeance as several wings of bomber units blast out from her docking bays. You hope that they can distract the Invader ship long enough for you to get inside and destroy her shield generator.

  The heavy metal grinding in your head drowns out fear once more as you form up beside your fanatical brothers, jets wailing full-blast. No one speaks. The bombers streak ahead of you, small unshielded black ships.

  Your helm hums strangely, then Commander Uther says, “We’re getting in range of that ship’s shield. Spearmen, up front. Everyone else in back. Get ready to hack through.”

  If you are armed with a Spear, turn to section 139.

  If you are armed with anything else, turn to section 20.

  223

  You enter a restroom with an exit on the far side. A dead man with a gun in his hand and a gunshot wound in the chest rests below a urinal. His se
lf-inflicted wound was not his last act, for you see a great proclamation written in blood above him. It reads

  REPENT SINNERS? WHAT FOR!

  THE INVADER COMES

  KING AND FOOL DIE ALIKE

  INVADER IS HERE AND WILL END US ALL!

  NOW CAN I HAVE A RAISE

  Invader. Your mind races. The Great Invasion… the end of the human species!

  With a terrific shock, part of your memory races back. You remember the human species at the height of its being, great nations and corporations sending pioneers out from the cradle of the earth to harvest the bounty of the solar system. Wealth flowed and some men became like gods. Then came the Invader. They never communicated with us, never told us their true name, only brushed through our system’s defenses analogous to hot knives and butter and wiped every major city from the face of the doomed earth. It has been three years since that terrible time and even to this day they are idly wiping out the last few space stations that still gather resources from the Belt and from the inner planets.

  Humanity has lost every single space battle, utterly. But one battle, one single lost battle, resulted in the capture of a small alien vessel which was secreted away. A group of determined scientists reverse-engineered the thing. They created a hidden refuge called Black Heaven, then built ships of their own. A human space army, the Black Lance Legion, was formed. Though you cannot remember the details, you became a part of it. You have lived under a totalitarian regime and have been trained for one purpose: To conduct a guerilla war against the Invasion force and take back the blood that was stolen from your kind.

  The cobwebs and mist that cloud your mind begin to clear, and the particulars of your training seem to make sense. The Black Lance Legion has taught you several skills so that you may effectively fight the enemy that seeks to make your solar system his home. Below is a list of nineteen skills available to Jetpack Infantrymen. You may choose 5 in which you are proficient.

  Navigation. The ability to make sense of the hidden paths within the void. Skilled navigators can use the stars and planets as guides to find the quickest routes through the solar system. Becoming lost in the void can be a fate worse than death in battle.

  Computers. Knowledge of the various systems built by humans that store and retrieve information and guide machines. Even without this skill you can still use a computer, as can most humans in the space age. However, this skill will give you the upper hand in making any program do what you want.

  Stealth. The ability to move about unseen and unheard. In this era, Stealth also includes an understanding of how to hide your infantry armor’s various electronic, heating, and other apparatuses prone to remote detection by the enemy.

  Pilot Ship: Small. The ability to pilot the smaller commercial and military spaceships made by humans. Includes use of older pre-Invasion ships as well as the newer, advanced ships. The controls of spaceships are very complicated, and without this skill you will be almost completely clueless about ship functions.

  Demolitions. Knowledge of the ingredients of explosive materials and the know-how to put a simple bomb together.

  Jetpack Skill. Every Space Infantryman understands the basics of piloting his own jetpack. This skill will give you greater understanding of jetpack piloting, jetpack maintenance, and knowledge of the Legion’s more advanced jetpack models.

  Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand. With the introduction of bulletproof energy shields and jetpack infantry that can move faster than bullets, close-in combat has become important on the battlefield. A good infantryman can outmaneuver and kill enemies up close, pierce the shields of enemy ships, and hack through hulls using the expensive, energy-producing weapons made by the Black Lance Legion. If you pick this skill, you will be proficient in the use of one type of H-to-H weapon: Blades, which includes knives and swords; Maces, which includes heavy blunt weapons like steel batons and maces; or Spears, the long, piercing weapons of the Legion. Blades are good for slashing flesh and hacking off limbs, Maces are good for bashing armor and bones, and Spears work well if your enemy is some distance away, or when used in groups of other spearmen. You may select proficiency in one of these weapons if you choose this skill, but you may choose this skill more than once if you desire proficiency in more than one type of H-to-H weapon.

  Weapon Proficiency: Ranged. Knowledge of the Way of the Gun. Energy shields are expensive to make, and are not widely used; plus, to kill from afar is still the safest path in war. If you choose this skill, you will be proficient in the use of one type of gun: Rifles, which includes long-range single shot rifles and automatic rapid-fire rifles; Handguns, which include small automatic handguns and older revolvers; or Shotguns, which are the heavy bruisers of gun warfare. You may choose this skill more than once if you desire proficiency in more than one type of ranged weapon. Note that once you have chosen to fire a gun at the enemy, you must fire at least one bullet, even if you realize afterwards that you have no hope of hitting the enemy!

  First Aid. The human body is not a perfect engine of warfare; wear and tear, and even death, are inevitable. To stay one step ahead of the Widowmaker is paramount to survival. This skill includes knowledge of healing medicines, drugs that enhance performance, poisons that impair bodily functions, and knowledge of the application of first aid in space.

  Xenology. Little is known of the Invader, but a few of the enemies’ ships and bodies have been captured and studied extensively by the Black Lance Legion. Xenology can give a soldier the upper hand when dealing with a strange, alien species. Knowledge at this level includes the basic information that your leaders think may be of use to an Infantryman, but does not include classified information.

  Sixth Sense. When death can occur anywhere and anytime, a warrior’s mind does anything it can in order to stay alive. Some soldiers seem to develop a sixth sense that warns them of danger when their eyes and ears do not. Some tacticians in the Black Lance Legion believe that intuition is the ability to scan and sort information on a subconscious level; when in danger, the subconscious warns the conscious mind via a peculiar sense of fear. While no good Infantryman wants to live in fear, separating raw fear from that inner voice of warning can help one tread the fine line between being smart and alive and being a coward.

  Stat Mod Skill: Weight Lifting. If you pick this skill, then you have spent a little time in the gym and take care of your body. You may add 1 to your Strength statistic. (This skill and all other Stat Mod Skills may only be chosen once.)

  Stat Mod Skill: Intensive Study. You have a college-level proficiency in one or more subjects. You have trained your mind a little more than most and can have an intelligent discourse on a few things. Add 1 to your Intelligence statistic.

  Stat Mod Skill: Gymnastics. You have some understanding of how to leap and fall without hurting yourself, and how to move quickly without wasting energy. Add 1 to your Dexterity statistic.

  Stat Mod Skill: Public Speaking. You don’t feel quite as much fear as others when it comes to making your thoughts understood by a group. Add 1 to your Charisma statistic.

  Be sure to make a note which 5 skills you choose. You must choose all 5 now. As you rise in levels, you will be able to choose more skills to add to your repertoire of knowledge.

  Somehow, you were separated from your unit. Your mission to find supplies and a ship with which to escape this station is now charged with the extra duty of remembering more of your past and what is going on in the war that rages in your solar system.

  You may take the dead man’s 9mm Automatic (Handgun, bulk 2) and 6 Handgun bullets (bulk 1) if you wish. You also find a First-Aid Kit (bulk 2) which heals 2 Blood with each use. It can be used 2 times before it is empty.

  To leave the bathroom and make your way toward the center of the ruined space station, turn to section 541.

  224

  Immediately the laborers leap up and tackle Cletus. Bawling like a wounded animal, Cletus disappears under a landslide of stomping feet. The men show him no mercy; all
their lives they have been pushed around by similar mindless brutes whose only authority comes from the end of a gun.

  Buford charges and slams into you. You crash into a stack of boxes and your head slams painfully against the floor, jarring you. He lashes out with a series of wild punches. You hear a terrific ringing sound and Buford crashes into the ground. You peel your eyes open and see Reika staggering under the weight of a heavy oxygen tank. She brings the thing down on Buford’s head again, nearly knocking his eyes loose from their sockets. He swings his fist out and catches the small girl in the gut, dropping her painfully, but you are on top of him before he can recover. A red haze dims your vision and you are aware only of the exertion in your limbs.

  You must now compute a number that will determine the outcome of this fight. This number is your Strength stat added to your 1 G Combat stat. If you are skilled in Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand, and it is with the weapon you are using, add 2 to this number. If you are using a Blade, add 1 to this number. If you are using a Mace, add 2.

  During the fight you lose 8 Blood, though you may subtract the number above from this amount. You may also subtract your Defense rating, if you have any.

  If you die, then you may Regenerate by turning to section 312, or, if you want to go further back, section 179.

  When you recover, you see a pulpy, bloody mess beneath you. The thing that was once Buford moans, his throat nearly crushed, then the broken bits of his teeth trickle into the back of his throat and suffocate him.