"I warn you gentlemen, on this beautiful planet three kinds of metal rule supreme. There is silver, a beautiful and valuable metal found in abundance near these oceans. There is gold, just as beautiful as well as more valuable. The hills are practically made of this stuff. Finally there is lead. Found in abundance in anyone that gets in your way.
You pathetic slaves are hear to collect the metals for your masters. The one who brings back the most valuable load gets off the planet and gets to keep twenty percent of his or her earnings, freedom, and a small homestead on the moon of Earth itself. Those of you who come in second and less will get left here, to die a slow and painful death.
Here is your equipment. A Hephaestus brand mining pick with smelting head. This can be used to dig, if you can use any muscle, and to smelt the ore you manage to bring up into pretty little bricks. A brick of gold is worth a hundred credits, a brick of silver fifty. This is the only one you get. Don't break it.
The second piece of equipment you will receive is a George Smith handgun with five shots. None of you have touched a gun in your life, so you may be surprised that we are arming you. You should know that this gun does not have the ability to fire past our shields or armor. You may use this to defend yourself from some of the....more unruly inhabitants. Yes, that is right, the planet is inhabited. Why do you think we didn't just go into it our self?
You have one month. The drop ship does not come back until then. Have a medical emergency? To bad. We are not changing the deadline for anything. So good luck, pitiful slaves, I am leaving this dirty planet"
The above was the speech your company manager gave to you before he set you off on the mission described... As he said, good luck.
Character Sheet:
Name: Bio(Remember, your a slave!) Status: Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other:
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
The creature replies with another set of squeaks. When it sees that you can't understand it, it pulls your arm and lead it to the water. Once there, the creature puts it's head in the water and you see it's dorsal fin vibrate briefly splashing out water. It then came and stood next to you. A few minutes later a creature that looked like the other, though much larger, came out of the water. It was about ten feet tall and holding a spear made of the same materiel that is holding up the tents. The spike is made of some kind of tooth.
The two creatures had a conversation in there language, and the large one returned to the water. A few minutes later, twenty of the same creatures armed with similar weapons burst out of the water. You notice some have fish on there spears and that some have a hole in there dorsal fin, about half of them have that mark.
One, the largest, came up to you. He had shells hanging from his dorsal fin with some markings on his face. He attempts to speak to you, with some interesting accent.
"We welcome Uh to our village. Do Uh wish to join Uhs for food?" As the last sentence finished the alarm system sounded telling you dinner was now.
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
Name: Johnny Bio: Fell off a waterfall when merly 7 years old thought to be dead but just lost my memory. Don't remember my last name but I've named myself Johnny. I was captured and put to work as a slave while hunting in the woods Status:Slave Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(10), Water(2), 3 Silver Nuggets, George Smith pistol (10) Other: I Love swords and Sniper Rifles
You explain this to the child, who then responds "I hwave my unkle Stweven who can whelp!" You were about to respond when the child left to fetch his uncle any way. He returned an hour later, now dark, being followed by a large, dirty man. The man had long dark hair and a beard going down to his chest, with large strong arms of a man who worked all his life. In one hand he held a pistol, in the other the child who held the lantern. He was exceptionally tall, so tall that the pickax hung from his belt without touching the ground. As he approached you he set the child down and reached his hand out to you. "Hello, I am Steven Williams. My boy tells me you have a plan?"
Name:Rashnat Bio: He was born poor to an alien Slave family, extremely similar to Humans but slightly less intelligent (say the intelligence of a human Young adult is the maximum). Working hard in the mines on a Colony, he slowly worked his way up the job ladder, starting at the age of 5 as a sorter and by 15 becoming a Miner just like his Pa and older Brother, both unnamed due to unity concerns by the Seers. Apparently the Seers didn't like him too much, even though being young he was one of the most productive, and 1 night after single-handedly digging through 50 feet of rock on his own (very hard-working, dumb but driven), He was ripped from his family by the Company and sent to this strange planet... Status: Refreshed! Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(9), 4 Silver nuggets Other:Soles of feet+hands are very rough+leathery from barefeet work in the Mines
quickly go grab some food if there is any, eat it, then go claim my pit and dig farther down
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
The chief makes a few clicking noises and makes some hand gestures, then leads you into a tepee. It was large with a roaring fire, though it smelled of fish. Over the fire there were crabs roasting on a spit, though the crabs seemed to have twelve legs.
He pulls one off the fire and hands it to you. "Now, eat. And tell us why you are here"
Name: Johnny Bio: Fell off a waterfall when merly 7 years old thought to be dead but just lost my memory. Don't remember my last name but I've named myself Johnny. I was captured and put to work as a slave while hunting in the woods Status: Tired, Wet Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(10), Water(2), 3 Silver Nuggets, George Smith pistol (10) Other: I Love swords and Sniper Rifles Team:Child,Steven Williams
The man nods and waits for darkness to become complete. You then head to the "ocean" on your left, which you call a river? Steven puts the child on his back and puts the lantern with it. You then swim into the water. The current is strong, but you manage to fight it, though it seems to be pushing you back to shore. After five minutes of swimming fully geared, you start getting tired. After twenty minutes, you are barley going on. Steven sees you start falling and grabs you, while swimming. After an hour, you fall asleep. You are awaken by gunshots and Steven yelling "Turn out the light!". You feel something hot cross your back, much like the wipes you have faced. You reach for your back, and feel blood. There is a few minutes of uneventful swimming, then you pass out.
You wake up, and find that the wound is gone. When you look at Steven, he simply grumbled "We ended up on the other side". The child was sleeping.
Though you got some sleep, it was not exactly restful, so you are still tired.
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
I'll take one cautious bite of the crab. "I...well, I guess I'm not a slave any longer. Maybe more like an indentured servant? I was sent here to mine silver, gold, and lead. If I can get the most of those, then I will be set free."
Name:Rashnat Bio: He was born poor to an alien Slave family, extremely similar to Humans but slightly less intelligent (say the intelligence of a human Young adult is the maximum). Working hard in the mines on a Colony, he slowly worked his way up the job ladder, starting at the age of 5 as a sorter and by 15 becoming a Miner just like his Pa and older Brother, both unnamed due to unity concerns by the Seers. Apparently the Seers didn't like him too much, even though being young he was one of the most productive, and 1 night after single-handedly digging through 50 feet of rock on his own (very hard-working, dumb but driven), He was ripped from his family by the Company and sent to this strange planet... Status: Refreshed! Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(9), 6 Silver nuggets Other:Soles of feet+hands are very rough+leathery from barefeet work in the Mines
You talk to one of the kinder looking guards about the food, and he replies that there is only one meal a day, near the end. You then return to mining, finding two more silver pieces in an hour. It only takes five to make a bar, and your bag is out of room.
Name:Rashnat Bio: He was born poor to an alien Slave family, extremely similar to Humans but slightly less intelligent (say the intelligence of a human Young adult is the maximum). Working hard in the mines on a Colony, he slowly worked his way up the job ladder, starting at the age of 5 as a sorter and by 15 becoming a Miner just like his Pa and older Brother, both unnamed due to unity concerns by the Seers. Apparently the Seers didn't like him too much, even though being young he was one of the most productive, and 1 night after single-handedly digging through 50 feet of rock on his own (very hard-working, dumb but driven), He was ripped from his family by the Company and sent to this strange planet... Status: Refreshed! Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(9), 6 Silver nuggets Other:Soles of feet+hands are very rough+leathery from barefeet work in the Mines
Wait i thought i also had a gold nugget that the interloper found?
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
The crab is tender, and tastes suspiciously like chicken.
The chief continues to sit down, his face grave. "They are bad men. Those men took our gold and silver tools and killed the elderly and the young. You see, traditionally we put gold in our bodies as a form of armor, they saute to take it. We are not fighters. We are fishers. We attempted to send our friends of the island; some of the giant creatures we once trained, to attack there base. Almost all of them were killed, those left alive stay out at night. I feel sorry for you, new friend, as you are doomed."
As he finished the last sentence an assistant brought him a hollow piece of bone, which he then lit using the fire and started to smoke.
"No, there may be one way. You see, there are three groups that live here. There is us, there is our brethren hiding in the mountains, and there is the wild ones. Our brethren are worriers, bloodthirsty and powerful fighters, but not savage. They may help you. The wild ones are the only ones that are really savage and dangerous, to anyone involved. This category contains a multitude of creatures, though they only come out at night now. The one good thing those men have done so far.
Or you could go for your gold, you may survive longer that way. The hills are filled with creatures, if you pass us to far. We do not wish to pressure you into helping us, we do not wish to use other people's lives as tools. If you are going to do this, you must do it voluntarily."
ame:Rashnat Bio: He was born poor to an alien Slave family, extremely similar to Humans but slightly less intelligent (say the intelligence of a human Young adult is the maximum). Working hard in the mines on a Colony, he slowly worked his way up the job ladder, starting at the age of 5 as a sorter and by 15 becoming a Miner just like his Pa and older Brother, both unnamed due to unity concerns by the Seers. Apparently the Seers didn't like him too much, even though being young he was one of the most productive, and 1 night after single-handedly digging through 50 feet of rock on his own (very hard-working, dumb but driven), He was ripped from his family by the Company and sent to this strange planet... Status: Refreshed! Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe (Overheated), George Smith pistol(9), 1 Silver nuggets, 1 silver bar, George Smith pistol (9) Other:Soles of feet+hands are very rough+leathery from barefeet work in the Mines
Really? Well it is a silver nugget now.
You follow the instructions and melt the nuggets using the tip then poring the contents into the back of the pickax, forming a silver bar. You then attempt to pull out the pickax, nearly burning your hand in the process. It is overheated, it seems, and you will not be able to pick it up for a while.
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
"And if I help you," I say after a pause, "what then? If we kill these colonists, they will just send more of their brethren, soldiers, to wipe us out."
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
The chief continues smoking his pipe and nods his head. "That is a possibility. But they are killing us like this! One of us dies every week to them. Soon we will be no more. We can not fight them with spears made of bone. If we take the base, we can take the armor and guns. We can have a chance."
Name: Michael Taylor Bio: Born poor, worked hard, got poorer. Was starving to death when he was approached by the company to join, and at the time, sounded like a good idea. In retrospect, not so much. Status: Slave. Equipment: Hephaestus pick axe, George Smith pistol(5) Other: None.
"You have no chance," I say quietly. "You might be able to take out this group of colonists, if you're lucky. But then, chances are that they would just nuke us from space and then continue mining as normal. If you are going to live, you must escape. You cannot fight them."
"You have no chance," I say quietly. "You might be able to take out this group of colonists, if you're lucky. But then, chances are that they would just nuke us from space and then continue mining as normal. If you are going to live, you must escape. You cannot fight them."
"Nuke?" he says running the word over his tongue several times "I know not what you speak of. But I am sure it is better than the alternative.
We have no were to escape. We can not fly as you people can. We have no were to go"
