Heavy Metal Thunder Read online

  You glance over at the laborers. They are panting and leaning against one another. Cletus is dead on the ground, a bag of shattered bones and ruined organs. One of the laborers nods to you, and you nod back. Another smiles slightly, then hides his mouth behind his hand guiltily.

  Reika leans next to you, says, “You okay, soldier boy?”

  “Yes ma’am,” you say. “Thanks.”

  She smiles her crooked smile.

  “But I didn’t have to thank you,” you say, “cause you owed me one, anyway.”

  Turn to section 341.

  225

  “I wish you luck in your endeavors, gentlemen,” you say, “but there’s no way in Hell I’m going to throw myself at those machines.”

  The laborer weakly turns his head to the guard, who continues getting his gear together. “B-but!” says the manager. “B-b-b-b-but y-you have to, man!”

  “I don’t have to do squat,” you say to him. “Besides, I don’t see you suiting up.”

  The manager averts his gaze, obviously vexed.

  You see the guard and the laborer putting on plastic face masks and attaching them to heavy air tanks that they strap to one another’s backs. You see another air tank on the ground. You feel around on your back and, without thinking, pull a concealed lever that releases your damaged air tank, which clatters to the ground noisily. The manager yelps. “I’m not going to help you switch that out,” says the manager. You ignore him as you unconsciously fit the tank in place behind you, then connect the tube that leads to your neckpiece. Now, at least, you have working oxygen - but you will need more.

  “Where’d you get this?” you ask, glaring at the manager.

  “Dock command station,” says the manager, staring at you.

  Oxygen right where the fuel lines are, you think. Perfect!

  You glance about, unwilling to move until the two armed men are gone. You note boxes stacked in the middle of the lounge area. Empty food wrappers litter the floor, and so you reason the boxes may be full of food. You will need all of it for your journey; these dead men will not miss it. There is a lot to carry, though, and you must hurry if you are to gather as much fuel as possible before the deconstructors kill the power and seal the lines. You make a mental note to come back for the food after the fuel is ready.

  The guard and manager check their twin hand-held radio units. Finally the guard wraps a belt of grenades around his chest, then nods to the old laborer. They jog down the hall on an interception course between the deconstructors and the backup power system. You go in the opposite direction, most likely toward the dock command station.

  Turn to section 518.

  226

  You shield yourself from the guard’s powerful blow. “GIMME THE SUIT!” he growls, spluttering thick saliva onto your face plate. “GIMME THE GODDAMN SUIT!” He wrestles with you and it’s all you can do to keep his powerful arms from crushing the wind out of you. You maneuver around on the floor, bracing against him with one arm while you grab a gun with another. You bring the gun to his head. Red-faced and full of fury, he refuses to relent - so you blast his skull open, spilling brains against the wall and dropping his body beside you. You push away from him.

  You gain 1 XP for use of your Stat, and another 2 XP for slaying the guard. Be sure to erase the bullet you just fired from your inventory. You search his body and find the following items:

  STELLAR Hand-Held Radio (bulk 1)

  Lounge Card Key (bulk 0)

  Turn to section 565.

  227

  Slowly, steadily, you creep down the hill. The lean body of the sniper, crouched behind his long rifle, grows in your vision, feeding your patient bloodlust. As the minutes drag by, you soon hover directly over your prey. You prepare to strike.

  If the weapon you are using is a Blade, and you are trained in Weapon Proficiency: Blade, turn to section 68.

  Otherwise, turn to section 339.

  228

  You charge at the robot. It swings its heavy fork lift about; you try to angle sideways as you run, but it slams you painfully into a wall. You slide to the floor, then roll underneath the fork lift as the robot turns around, ready to slam into you head-on.

  You must now compute a number that determines the outcome of the battle against the labor-bot. Add your Ground Combat (or 1 G Combat) to your Dexterity Stat. If you are using a hand-to-hand weapon, and have the Weapon Proficiency Skill with that weapon, add 3 to the total. If you are using a weapon but are untrained in its use, add 1.

  As you move about to avoid the fork lift, then climb up the front of the robot, it gives you the smack-down with a number of appendages on its torso. You lose 8 Blood from the assault, but you may subtract the above number from your Blood loss. If your Blood score drops to zero or less, then you get light-headed and fall to the floor. You then feel thick-headed as the giant robot rolls over your body, pushing all of your blood into your head. You feel agony just before your tongue and eyeballs pop out in a shower of blood. However, if you survive the robot’s assault, continue on.

  You manage to climb up the robot’s front, bracing against its attacks. You balance your feet on its fork lifts, then smash the sensor dome into pieces. The robot swings about and you leap to the floor, crashing under the weight of your jetpack. You roll away and see the robot rumbling down a side hall, bumping from wall to wall, blind and useless.

  You gain 1 XP for overcoming the robot. You may continue down the hall to the dock command station by turning to section 214.

  229

  While jogging down the hall you see a closed door to your left. The other door pounds ahead of you. While the mist is expanding rapidly, it is still some distance behind you.

  If you want to duck into the other room, either to hide or just to take a peek, turn to section 408.

  If you want to keep moving ahead, turn to section 239.

  230

  You study the Narrenschiff’s navigational data. You could easily stay within the Asteroid Belt, as this is most likely what your own Black Lance Legion ship is doing. But you want to meet it as quickly as possible, and so you set a course that will follow the “inside lane” - that is, you will swing inwards of the Belt in order to shorten your course. You decide to meet with two large asteroids called Scylla and Charybdis so that there will not be any chance of getting lost in the vastness of space.

  You note that while the two asteroids are named after mythological monsters that gave some hero of legend a hard time, for you they will be good omens, as they mark the point at which you will be roughly two-thirds of the way through your journey, which will end at your reunion with your brothers in the Legion.

  But you’re not home yet. You must subtract 1 Food for every person on the Narrenschiff, including yourself. You may use your own supply of Food in your inventory, if you have any. If you do not have enough to cover everyone, you must use up all possible Foods and then lose 1 Blood due to the harsh effects of slow starvation.

  You gain 1 XP for the use of your skill.

  If Simeon the Mechanic is with you, turn to section 531.

  If he is not, turn to section 262.

  231

  While searching a supply closet near the lounge, you find some old dynamite and remote triggers; there is enough here for you to rig a small Motion-Sensitive Bomb (bulk 3) that you can carry with you, until you can think of a place to put it. Whether or not you wish to keep the bomb, you gain 1 XP for successful use of your Skill.

  Turn to section 394.

  232

  You blast forward and the Invader’s rifle whips about, leveled at your chest. You crash into the sniper just as his rifle fires.

  You must now compute a number that will determine the outcome of your battle. This number is your Strength added to your Zero G Combat stat. If you are trained in Stealth, add 3 to this number. If you are trained in Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand, and it is with the weapon you are using, add 3 to this number. If you are using a Mace, add 1. If you are using a Spear
, add 1. If you have no hand-to-hand weapon, subtract 3.

  You lose 10 Blood, but you may subtract the number you calculated from this amount. You may also subtract your Defense rating, if you happen to be wearing any armor. If you lose at least 1 Blood then you also lose 1 SD.

  (If you have died, then you may Regenerate by turning to section 312, or, if you want to go further back, section 179.)

  If you survive, then you crash into the Invader, sending you both into a far rocky wall in a plume of dust. You are blinded for a moment as you lash out at limbs wildly, then see oxygen and red ice spew from your enemy’s demolished suit. As the dust and frozen blood clears, you rest in a bed of ash beside your fallen enemy.

  You gain 2 XP for killing the Invader sniper.

  Turn to section 362.

  233

  You hug the wall and manage to maintain your grip: Gain 1 XP. You continue down the exposed hallway. You take a look at the dogs below. They seem far away, but you note that a few have begun to gather at the base of a fallen concrete support beam. The top of the beam lies against an exposed room at the end of this curved hallway. It is possible that a few of the smarter dogs could get onto the beam and, if they were careful, make their way up to you. You cannot see the room on the other side of the pillar, but you hope that there is an exit on the far side of it.

  You gather speed. Just as you feared, several of the dogs scramble onto the support beam and are walking up its angular surface. The top of the pillar comes nearer. You jog. Several of the dogs near the top. Finally you reach the blasted room where the top of the pillar rests.

  The room is dark, but you could crawl under the top of the wide beam and hope that there is an exit. But the dogs are nearly upon you - and you have no guarantee that there will be an exit.

  If you wish to crawl under the beam and ignore the dogs, turn to section 390.

  If you have a Handgun and at least 2 Handgun bullets, you can fire at the lead dogs by turning to section 217.

  You see a heavy-looking chunk of debris nearby. To chuck it at the lead dogs, turn to section 397.

  If you think you can make the dogs obey you, you can yell at them by turning to section 573.

  234

  The deconstructor dodges just before you can connect. You stumble, having lost your balance, and a tentacle whips into your leg, tripping you. The thing looms over you, ready to take a bite out of your head and ask for seconds, but you roll to the side. You push yourself heavily onto your knees, then a tentacle whips into your ribs. You stumble to your feet, ignoring another heavy blow on your shoulder. The deconstructor rushes in; you jump on it, pounding its back with your weapon until the beast shudders and crashes, dead.

  You have lost 3 Blood in the fight. If your Blood has dropped to zero or less, then you lean onto the thing, bargaining for a nap but cashing in on death.

  If you have survived, turn to section 298.

  235

  “No shit?” says one guard. “Man, I heard about your ass.”

  “For true,” says the other guard. “You’re alright, man. G’on in.” The two salute you and you nod to them as you enter the deck.

  Yeah, you think, those guys are cool. Some good guys. They got good taste.

  Pretty shitty guards, though.

  Turn to section 370.

  236

  The wind whips around you as the void sucks at the hallway, and you lower yourself with the grappling rope’s harness. Bullets ricochet above you as someone in the northern hallway fires at the deconstructors. You see the heavy treads working below you. Full of fear, you grab onto the side of the deconstructor to keep from being pulled into the vacuum. You see a sealed panel nearby - you plan to smash it before you are ground up against the side of the northern hall as you ride the behemoth.

  You must now compute an abstract number that signifies the strength of your attack.

  For hand-to-hand weapons, or your bare hands: If you are using a Mace, add 2 to the total; if you are using any other weapon, add 1 to your total. If you are skilled in Weapon Proficiency: Hand-to-Hand, and it is with the type of weapon you are using, add 2 to your total. Add your Strength to the total. Add your Ground Combat (or 1 G Combat) to the total.

  For guns: If you are skilled in Weapon Proficiency: Ranged, and it is with the type of gun you are using, add 3 to your total. For every 2 Rifle bullets that you choose to fire, add 1 to your total. For every 4 Handgun bullets you choose to fire, add 1 to your total. Add your Dexterity to the total.

  You may only use one type of weapon, for the violence of the vacuum and the limited amount of time prevent you from switching out weapons.

  If the result is 7 or more, turn to section 4.

  If the result is 6 or less, turn to section 434.

  237

  You take the pilot’s chair, then spend a long time adjusting it in order to heighten the dramatic tension. Many ships blast free from the port, engines blazing hot. You flip the switch to release the electronic moorings, then blast off as dozens of other ships do the same.

  You see the black of the void, stars, the flare of ships, and you know that the black Invader ship is out there somewhere, stalking. Your gloves go slick with the sweat from your palms. A flash of red, then a ship near you whirls wildly, spraying gas, then another flash of hellfire and another ship explodes in a puff and spray of metal. Then another, and another, and as the ships around you spread wildly you increase speed and direct the Narrenschiff in a varying loop.

  Someone behind you brings up a series of video feeds on the nearby monitors. You glance at them and see the dying station behind you. It is blasted nearly all around, run through with holes, and covered in clouds of debris. One monitor shows the black hull of the Invader ship floating by serenely, ominously, the few remaining lights of the station casting a halo around it. And on nearly every monitor you see ship after ship blasted, scattered into pieces by laser fire. Somehow, through skill and luck, you draw far away from the station. You see only two or three other ships flying free as well, though you doubt that any of them know where they are going except for away.

  But you know that there is no getting away from death, not in the void of space. You set a course that will draw you parallel with the course of your Black Lance Legion ship. You try not to think about the fact that the Invader ship will most likely be taking a similar course.

  You gain 1 XP for your skillful piloting. Turn to section 34.

  238

  As you pull the trigger, thunder shatters the room, deafens you, and a bullet slams into the side of your ribs, then another joins it. You cannot breathe, feel your legs go loose, and you fall against the wall and slide down painfully. You force your eyes open. You see the lawman flat on the ground, his chest peppered with holes, his eyes still. The smiling revolutionary stumbles backward slowly, his face now pale and loose; he clutches a spreading red spot on his chest, leans against the wall for a moment, then falls forward, limp and heavy.

  In front of you, the scared revolutionary clutches his smoking gun, eyes wide with terror and manic-fury as he glares at you. Your bullets have missed him. While the man stares at you, you stare back, then feel of your wounds. A bullet is lodged between your ribs, and another has grazed your side: you lose 9 Blood to the terrible assault.

  Furthermore, your suit has been punctured. If you have any Sticky Fix, you must use one dose now to fix your suit; otherwise, make a note that your suit has been damaged. Lastly, because of your wound you temporarily lose 2 Strength and 1 Dexterity. (Note that your stats cannot go below zero; if they do, you must lose 1 Blood for every stat point you would otherwise lose.) Be sure to erase any ammunition that you used.

  If you have died in a hail of gunfire, you may Regenerate by turning back to section 312, or, if you want to go back further, turn back to section 179.

  Finally the revolutionary lowers his gun to his side, looks at his dead comrade for a long time, then leaves the room, oblivious to your existence. You stumble painfully to your
feet.

  You search the bodies of the dead and find the following gear, which you may take with you.

  Krieger-Colt Pump-Action Shotgun (Shotgun, bulk 3)

  3 Shotgun Shells (1 bulk)

  Enforcer Automatic (Handgun, bulk 2)

  5 Handgun Bullets (bulk 1)

  Stellar Corp Law Enforcement Uniform (bulk 2) (Damaged and bloody.)

  Steel Baton (Mace, bulk 2)

  When you are ready to hit the all-you-can-eat buffet (and scoop up some XP), turn to section 260.

  239

  You run towards the slamming demon-door. You hear more vents come to life far behind you. The pink mist growls, rolls forward faster.

  You pick up speed. The drumbeat deepens, burns in your chest. And damned if it isn’t moving faster than the other one.

  If you have a Dexterity score of at least 3, turn to section 123.

  If you have an Intelligence score of at least 2, turn to section 41.

  If neither of these Stats are that high, turn to section 131.

  240

  The laborer relaxes. The girl quickly pulls away and darts to the far end of the room.

  You gain 1 XP for masterminding the release of the girl.

  “Fine,” says the laborer, staring back at you. “But I reject your world.”

  Suddenly he puts the gun to his own head. “Wait!” you shout. “Don’t do it! I can use that bullet!” But it’s too late - the man fires, blowing his brains out like a rainbow that comes in only one color. His body falls in a twitching heap. You may take his Bloody Chrome-Plated 9mm (Handgun, bulk 2) and 4 Handgun bullets (bulk 1) if you wish.