AEON E1-Team: Season 1, Session 4 – Enemy

Dramatis Personae

• Hannah “Hot Lips” Hayes (NPC): TBA. Tagline: “TBA.”
• Li “Cookie” Xuan (NPC): TBA. Tagline: “TBA.”

Previously . . .

As the team regroups outside after the explosion of the small clinic, Apex suggests that Boombox uses high frequency acoustic vibration to extinguish the flames, moving around the fire to try to keep it contained to a smaller and smaller area before he finally extinguishes it when it’s small enough. Nero tries to sniff around but can’t get anything up his nostrils but the scent of the fire and smoke. Now they have a hidden button camera to look at, figuring out that it’s still broadcasting. He takes a look at it to figure out if there’s local storage on it or if they can determine where it’s transmitting to via Electro’s radio intercept, locking onto the signal propagation that goes out of town and then goes through a repeater and heads further outwards. Nero suggests himself heading out and scouting while Hux creates a faraday cage with chewing gum wrappers and duct tape.

Aftermath of the Asplodin

Apex, Boombox, Electro, Hux, and Nero
Alverz Free Clinic
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020, 1600 hours (GMT-3)
De la Estancia 1925, V9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

With their destination now known via Electro’s abilities, they start heading towards the location of the repeater via Hux’s self-maintained Jeep with Nero moving ahead as a bird to scout from the air. It’s transmitting from a house with an old man there as Allison sneaks towards the house while the others are still away from the house, sneaking close enough to peer into the building. It appears obvious that the old man isn’t involved with what is going on, but he is able to notice that there’s wires going into an old metal shed with something buried behind the shed itself. It looks like the repeater is buried with the metal shed itself being the antenna. Nero keeps looking around for people that are observing the location, but really doesn’t see anyone else nearby that’s watching, but notices that there’s a rather very well hidden camera inside what looks like a bee or wasp nest high in a tree nearby. Looking closer, it’s obviously a false nest with nothing living inside. He makes sure to alert the rest of the team to it.

Hearing about it, Hux and Electro searches it out from their location on the ground. They figure out the location of the camera, that there’s a repeater under the ground and a comms package attached to it. Electro uses his radio interception ability to determine where the signal is repeating towards, but can’t get a good lock as it’s too far away to the north, around 10 miles or so judging by the signals it’s outputting. Hux sets up a quick little gadget from his watch and duct tape and some stuff from his pocket to create something that will keep them tracking the detected signal. Leaving the home and repeater alone, they head off following their watch once Nero joins them and his biomass in the Jeep.

Back at the Airfield

Apex, Boombox, Electro, Hux, and Nero
Malvinas Argentinas International Airport
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020, 2000 hours (GMT-3)
V9401 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina

They follow the signal forwards, finding it leading them to the Airport where their plane is parked. The signal leads them to the antenna farm on the ATC Tower. Electro tries to get closer to the tower, but the security guard blocks his way so he calls in someone to get him in peacefully. Boombox comes in as soon as he’s assured that Electro isn’t going to blow anything up. The suggestion that they dress up in some high-vis vests much to Hux’s disapproval that he’s not being involved in this plan if they’re going to dress like him. Conceding the point, they bring Hux along with their disguise as mechanics. Nero continues to sit in the car, wondering if Apex is the flesh monster that they are saying they shouldn’t bring along. Apex tells Nero to look like a normal tourist while she packs herself into some rolling luggage after stowing her weaponry in the Jeep.

Pulling Apex behind him, he moves up to a security guard who only speaks Portuguese and acts like a typical ignorant American tourist as Nero has no knowledge of that language. Distracting the guard, the other three make their way into the employees area as the guard is just too busy dealing with Nero to care. Once through they’re inside the antenna farm where Electro sits and concentrates to pinpoint the signal that he’s had, but not before looking for a camera that might be tracking them only seeing the normal airport-type cameras. Isolating the signal, it’s going upwards to a satellite which is then bounced towards its destination about a thousand miles away. Electro pulls up the destination on his cellphone and points it out to the rest of his team which Hux forwards to the Vagabond Star while Electro continues the charade of doing maintenance on the antennas before declaring that everything is fine.

At New at Airfield

Apex, Boombox, Electro, Hux, and Nero
Comandante Espora Airport
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020, 2100 hours (GMT-3)
Ex Ruta 3 Norte KM 675, B8000 Bahía Blanca, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

They manage to extract themselves and get back to their plane to find that they’re following that signal to Bahia Blanca. Making sure that they’re done in town, they take off and take off after determining that they’re broke again after resupplying. Boombox rests up during his flight in his room in the plane. Electro gets some food and shares it with the dog they’ve adopted. Hux gets working to make sure that they’ve got clearance to land at their destination while Nero worries about their food supplies considering that he’s got the most mouths to feed. While Boombox tries to comfort the skull to make sure they’re on good terms, the dog attempts to get his attention by rolling around on his back and waggling his paws in the air. Hux and Electro also discuss the problem with fuel consumption ratios and weight requirements and how electric power isn’t feasible.

They land in Bahia Blanca, a harbor town in the Buenos Aires area with Hux getting them clearance for landing after dealing with an ass that refused to respond in English. Though there are some other problems, including a customs agent that’s looking for an unofficial tip that takes one of their last twenties and explains some customs that happen down there regarding bribery and corruption where bribery is more like just tipping folks. They get a nice hanger out of the way as Hux determines that he needs to start working on one of the engines while warning Electro to keep away from trying to repair the plane.

Outside, while he’s working on the engine, the dog, Ruckus, brings Hux something in his mouth and drops it to the ground revealing it to be a skull. Heading back into the plane with it where the vocoder is, he questions if he told the dog to bring him. Trying to figure out what is going on with the skull, much to Hux’s annoyance when it refuses to answer in anything other than yes or no. Eventually saying something different, that he needs to PREPARE. On the bright side, his brain doesn’t explode, on the down side he wakes up on the floor, on the up side he also still has all his clothes. Hux has got an idea in his head, it’s right there. Full blueprints and the exact things he’ll need to build it in his head just as though he created it himself but he knows it was from the skull. Thinking for a moment about the building the device, he decides against it and moves back to repair the engine with the help of Nero but is still distracted by the idea that the skull planted in his head.

Aftermath

Back off the plane, Electro is searching the city for the location that the signal is leading them towards, tracking it to the Port of Bahia Blanca, a small port that hasn’t been updated since the 50-60s. But it’s heavily guarded despite the looks. The major building looks like the headquarters with a few other buildings that look like rest quarters, and one more that is heavily guarded that looks like an office as well as a modified ship in port that seems like it might be serving as extra crew quarters. There’s some old signage from years ago, but nothing that would identify their current use. Apex’s guts says it’s now a base for some kind of group while Electro determines that the ship has been rigged with some pretty advanced technology despite its outward appearance along with the weapons being electrically powered. Apex spends some time observing the guards who are carrying advanced weapons and notes their patrol patterns, that the ship is seaworthy despite its looks. If she had to take a guess, it’s likely a roving HQ of sorts. There’s people running around the place carrying cargo and boxes and Apex has noted the presence of the nurse.

After Action Report (GM)

This was another really fun session that was just a genuine joy to GM. The PCs were doing there thing. I was trying to entertain them. They ended up entertaining themselves somewhat. It was just good. Next week: COMBAT!

Other Notes

None.

Soundtrack

“Low” by Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
“Einstein On The Beach (For An Eggman)” by Counting Crows

AEON E1-Team: Season 1, Session 6 – Thunderstruck