It was early morning and exactly a year since we played part one of Hope’s Last Day. Soon Irfan will be away for his studies and we will unlikely have time to play. So, I thought we should complete our adventure on LV-426 a.k.a. Acheron…
Dramatis Personae
- Dr. Westerlund – Weyland Yutani Scientist
- von Oy – Colonial Marshall (NPC)
A Player and Game Mother who is the player’s Game Father too
Skulking along the main street of the colony Hadley’s Hope, Deputy Marshal von Oy (with 4 Stress) is struck with a painful muscle strain on his right calf. Unable to walk well, the Botanist/Terraformer Dr. Westerlund (with 5 Stress) props him up as he limps along.
Westerlund decide to head for the Lock-mart Starcub shuttle on the landing pad. He would stow von Oy there safely, then attempt to rescue Osterman who is trapped in Billy’s Bar up the street.
It was a difficult path, between A Block and Billy’s Bar, then through the barren field around the West Lock and to ATCC and the landing pad to the northwest of the town. (Westerlund had to roll Mobility twice, failing twice requiring him to stop for a breather each time. I rolled a Stress dice but no 1s turned up.)
Shuttle Troubles
They carefully approach the Weyland Yutani interstellar shuttle. (With an excellent Observation roll) Westerlund realised there was a sleek, black skinned creature in the shadow on the far side of the shuttle: a nightmare. The inhuman bipedal creature had bony spines growing out its back and a segmented tail. It sits at rest with both legs folded into its chest. In that position, it has wrapped its arms around them. Its elongated head rests stationary between the folded legs.
With Tim Bannock’s Alien RPG cheat sheet on the coffee table
Westerlund determines that they both need to slowly and noiselessly reach the shuttle’s aft hatch. They both move around the south side of the shuttle as the creature is rested at the north side. Using the dead Company Agent Reynolds‘ shuttlecraft keycard, they quickly get aboard. Hearing an approaching hiss, Westerlund hits the door close button.
Respite
The creature — presumably one of many that killed the inhabitants of Hadley’s Hope — does not seem to detect the two of them. The cameras catch a glimpse of it as it traversed slowly around the shuttle.
Meanwhile, von Oy uses a first aid kit to fix his strained muscles. Also, Westerlund figures out how to add these new creatures to his unfinished academic paper on the botanical element into the terraforming Acheron (which also lowers his Stress by one). After, they both spend 20 minutes to catch their breaths (depleting their Stress level to zero).
The duo consider their next move. Should they go rescue Osterman? Marshall von Oy tells Westerlund that a rescue attempt will be futile and they would die. They have seen how these creatures moved and how other had died. Westerlund reluctantly agrees to abandon the moon, and flee on the Starcub shuttle.
Engine Troubles
Westerlund slots in the shuttle key, activating her power. However, von Oy is unable to activate the starboard Newington A-24 rocket motor. A fuel valve is stuck and can only be reset from a panel on the hull.
All the dice in the dice tray
Studying the creature’s slow movement clockwise around the shuttle, Westerlund plans to rush out, reset the fuel valve, then head back in; all while the creature is stalking on the port side.
He opens the door into darkness. Zeta2 Reticuli has set. The gas giant Calpamos is out of sight on the other side of Acheron. So, von Oy rummages through a storage container and hands a flashlight to Westerlund. He stealthily rushes to the starboard engine, opens the engine panel and identifies the fuel valve. Westerlund tries hard (using the Heavy Machinery skill) to physically reset the valve, but it is stuck. He tries again (Pushing his roll), and the valve resets with a bang. An ominous hiss indicates the creature is about to come around the front of the shuttle, so he makes a break back to the shuttle’s aft hatch.
“Let’s go!” he yells, hitting the door close button.
But the hatch does not close. The panel lights are offline.
Departure Troubles
The creature comes around the back of the shuttle. The rocket motors flare up, thanks to von Oy, and flings the creature — on fire — out into the darkness. The shuttle takes off while Westerlund tries to repair the aft hatch, and (after a Pushed Comtech roll) succeeds. (A successful Piloting roll by von Oy prevented a crash!)
The scientist straps himself into a chair as von Oy takes them up into low orbit. There are no capital ships waiting for the shuttle. If it was here, the starship must have departed and would return later to pick Reynolds’ team up.
The player takes a selfie
The Marshall asks von Oy where would they go. Looking at the star chart, Westerlund decides to go to Tirgu-Mires and the Wright-Aberra Fuel Depot orbiting the star GL1401B.
It would take a while even at top speed. So, von Oy engage the Romberg 100C tachyon shunt, accelerating the shuttle into low FTL speeds. Then they both climb into their individual sleep pods.
The shuttle and her two passengers in hypersleep sail into the uncertain night, away from dead Acheron…
THE END
Notes
- Exactly one year to the day (maybe +1 day) since we played Part 1.
- Some time after, the USCM ship USS Sulaco would arrive to investigate the loss of Hadley’s Hope signal.
