Heavy Metal Thunder (26 page)

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
.

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
.

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
.

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
.

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
.

“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
.

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
.

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
.

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
.

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
.

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.

Turn to section
479
.

The syringe hovers near and you push desperately
against one another.

If your
Intelligence
is 2 or more, you can try
to debate with the doctor - or at least distract him - by turning to section
173
.

If your
Strength
is 3 or more, you can teach
him something that wasn’t in his textbooks by turning to section
183
.