UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

[TheRavenIs]

I so love these little plays that force the heroes into fighting other heroes. I love it. Keep it coming Bill.

Raven

[teh bunneh]

"The top story tonight is an alarming report from the United Nations. UNTIL has issued arrest warrants for the members of UNITY Team C. Details are still sketchy at this point, but our sources tell us that UTC is accused of collaborating with aliens and attempting to undermine the legitimate governments of Earth. UNITY Team B has been authorized to serve the warrant, though UN officials are urging UTC members to turn themselves in voluntarily. More on this breaking story as it comes in."

With this bit of alarming news, our heroes had become fugitives. But it had not been completely unexpected; UTC began to put their contingency plans into play. The heroes got rid of their Secure Links and fled from the scene of their battle with Leech (knowing that UNITY Team B would eventually come down here to track them and find the unconscious monster). Straight Arrow sent two teams up to steal some transportation – he knew that the Grungnir would be the first place UNTIL would look for them. Meanwhile, he went to talk to Tank. He wasn't sure where the cyborg's loyalties would lie once he'd heard the accusations.


Tank volunteered to stay with UTC, saying that as long as UTC opposed the aliens he would stand by them. Straight Arrow was grateful – Tank, while not subtle, was a valued team member.


The heroes got out of Paris and headed south, toward Spain, keeping to the tertiary roads so they'd be less likely to be stopped. Pausing at a rest stop somewhere near the border, they caught wind of a couple of news reports:

UNTIL agents staged a daring midnight raid in the peaceful London suburb of Northrop, taking two adults and two children into custody. The press speculates that these persons are related to the British UTC leader Straight Arrow. Lords Geoffrey Greengables and St. John Portland-Smythe protested the arrests on the floor of the House of Lords. "This is a clear violation of the rights of our citizens, not to mention our own national sovereignty," Lord Greengables angrily demanded. "How dare the UN not even consult British law enforcement before they made these arrests?"

Lord Greengables announced that he intends to open a board of inquiry into the matter. "We will find out the truth of the matter," he told reporters. "I for one cannot believe for a moment that Great Britain's finest hero is a traitor to our world."

UNTIL agents arrested Jordanian ambassador Irem bin Faud in Paris this morning as he attempted to board a plane bound for Amman, Jordan. "Ambassador Faud is not under arrest," UNTIL spokesman Sherman Reid announced. "He is being held for questioning in the matter of UNITY Team C.

Reid admitted under questioning that Ambassador Faud's daughter Peri is the UTC member known as Ifrita. UNTIL has asked that anyone with information about the whereabouts of any member of UTC please contact them.

Upset that their families were caught up in this, the heroes felt they were running out of options. Ifrita suggested they try to cross the Straight of Gibraltar and get to Algeria, where they could hook up with the Algerian hero Djinn. They were running out of options, and this was as good as idea as any, so the heroes continued south.

US Defense Department sources indicate that a Mondabi scout craft was shot down over the Indian Ocean two weeks ago, forcing it to crash-land in the Himalayan Mountains and prompting the widely-reported showdown between PRIMUS, UNITY, and the Chinese superteam Metal Storm.

The Pentagon had no official comment, but UNTIL spokesman Sherman Reid vigorously denies these allegations. "There is absolutely no indication that the Mondabi have returned or ever will return," he said in his daily press conference. "Anyone who suggests otherwise is engaged in baseless fear-mongering." He refused to comment on UNTIL's refusal to release the recovered wreckage to the Pentagon.

In related news, Senator Hank Goodkind has asked UNITY Team C to turn themselves in to US authorities. "I ask that they do this in the spirit of friendship, trust, and cooperation," he told reporters. "I for one am willing to give these heroes the benefit of the doubt for now, but until we get to the bottom of this matter it would go a long way to assuage the public's fears if they turned themselves in. I am offering to act as an ambassador between these heroes and the United Nations."

Faced with a skeptical public and cries of protest from the British, Swiss, and Jordanian governments, UNTIL has released more details about the charges against UNITY Team C.

"We have evidence to show that UNITY Team C is directly responsible for attempted escape of Durak, Scorpia, and Killer Frost, the successful escape of Bluebird and Howler, and the deaths of 36 UNTIL officers – good men, some of them with wives and children, horribly murdered while attempting to perform their duties. UTC were attempting to free a telepathic alien lifeform which UNTIL had imprisoned in their Ultimate Security Prison off the coast of Sweden," UNTIL spokesman Sherman Reid announced today.

"Furthermore, team leader Straight Arrow has been accused of the attempted murder of Team B member Gadget Man. Evidence clearly shows that the arrow which wounded Gadget Man during the battle against Metal Storm came from Straight Arrow's bow. Gadget Man is currently recovering from his wound in Yggdrasil."

"Most incriminating," Reid continued, "UNTIL Intelligence has recently learned that one of the members of Team C was an alien in disguise, sent to infiltrate our defenses, probe our weaknesses, and corrupt the ones who we have relied on to defend us. Alida Agmaar, known to the world as Aurora, is a shape-shifting creature from another world. We believe we have finally discovered one of the mysterious Wraiths – hiding like a viper among us."

Reid once again denied that a second alien invasion was imminent, and added "UNITY Team B is still here and ready to defend the world against anything that may threaten it. Furthermore, we are accelerating the deployment of UNITY Team D, just to be ready for any eventuality."

Superheroes around the world react to the accusations of UNITY Team C's alleged treason. "I will not believe that my cousin is a traitor or an infidel," Egyptian hero Fist of Allah told al Jazeera in a live interview. "No good Muslim would ally herself with the infidel aliens. I have seen into her heart and I know she is true. Let those who accuse her do so in front of me and they will taste my steel!"

African Heroine Gazelle told reporters in Johannesburg that she personally assisted UNITY Team C destroy an alien menace in Burundi. "If they're working for the aliens, why did they risk their lives to destroy that alien city?" UNTIL has refused to confirm or deny that there was ever an alien city in central Africa, though a large number of UNTIL troops has set up headquarters in that area – ostensibly to assist with the peace process.

EuroGuard has not released an official statement, but EuroGuard co-leader Bielo, when asked about the accusations against Aurora, was caught on camera saying, "And if she is an alien, so what? Can not other worlds give birth to heroes as well?"

PRIMUS has declined to comment, but sources close to the American hero team say that there are differing opinions about the guilt or innocence of UTC. "In America, we believe that people are innocent until proven guilty," PRIMUS leader Paragon said. "Until then, I have nothing to add to the debate."

At another rest stop some hours later, Straight Arrow decided to make a call. He still wasn't sure he could trust them, but right now UNITY Team Omega seemed like their best option. After all, they had some 25 years' experience at keeping under UNTIL's radar. He dialed the number that "John" had given him. It rang and rang and no one picked up. Straight Arrow was disappointed at the dead end. He went to use the men's room and as he was washing up, heard a familiar voice behind him.


"Got a light, mate?" John asked. The cocky Englishman was accompanied by the young American known as Flicker, and the cyborged woman who Straight Arrow had learned was called Circuit Breaker. "The ****e's truly hit the fan, hasn't it mate?"

"We need some help," Straight Arrow told him. "But I need to make sure that you're still on our side. The information about Aurora has been leaked to the media. How is Midnight taking it?"


"He's taking it like any paranoid Russian takes learning that his paranoia was justified," John laughed. "But I think I can keep him off your backs for a few days. What do you need from me?"


"We need two things," Straight Arrow said. "First, we need to know that our families are OK, and that UNTIL won't try to harm them. The second thing we need is a place to lay low for a few days, to regain our bearing."


John nodded. "The second thing won't be a problem. I can set you up in a house that'll be safe for a couple of days. And I'll try to find out about your people – I know a guy who knows a guy who might know something."


John instructed Straight Arrow to drive to a secluded campground a few miles away and to wait there. He'd send someone along presently to pick them up and take them to the safe house. John and his companions then vanished. Straight Arrow told his team that he'd arranged a place for them to stay and they headed out.


Straight Arrow still wasn't sure he could trust the Englishman, so he had Vilkacis, Aurora, and New Man find a place to hide, where they could see the campground but not be seen. The rest of the heroes waited for about an hour, and then a tour bus drove up. The driver told them to hop in. He didn't even bat an eye when the massive Tank climbed up into the cargo section of the bus – the heroes were guessing that he'd been mesmerized in some way.


Straight Arrow told Aurora, Vilkacis, and New Man to follow at a safe distance. The bus drove all night until it came to an ancient Moorish-era castle somewhere in the south part of the country. Though the castle looked ruined from the outside, inside it was sumptuously decorated. John met them there and told them they could stay for two days. "More than that and Midnight'll find out," he said. "And I'm treading on thin ice with him as it is. There's plenty of food, lots of room, hot water, a TV, and even an anonymous Internet hookup if you need it. Make yourselves at home, and try not to wreck the place. Now me, I'm off to find out about your rugrats. Cheers, mate." John drove off in a sportscar, leaving the heroes to fend for themselves.


They immediately began checking news sources to find out what was going on in the rest of the world. They also tried to contact many of their friends to make sure they were OK.

The world, already shaken by startling revelations of treason within the ranks of UNITY, was shocked and saddened when UNTIL announced today the loss of UNITY Team A. "They were on a deep-space mission, seeking to defend our world from the threat of the alien menace," UNTIL spokesman Sherman Reid said this morning. "We lost contact with them two weeks ago, and all attempts to raise them again have failed. We have no choice but to believe they have fallen."

Flags around the world will be flown at half-mast to honor the fallen heroes, and the UN General Assembly held a moment of silence after the announcement. Reid refused to speculate whether the disappearance was linked to UNITY Team C but asked once again for the heroes to turn themselves in.

In related news, the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center announced that it had begun receiving strange signals, apparently beamed from deep space. NAIC Director Terry Ghosh told reporters, "It's too early to speculate on what it means, but these signals are regular and recurring, and seem to be coming from outside our solar system. It's definitely a transmission, but what it's saying I can't guess."

UNTIL has asked the governments of the world to begin detaining members of their own superteams who have had contact with UNITY Team C. "Until the threat has passed, we need to ascertain the loyalty of each and every super human on the planet," UNTIL spokesman Sherman Reid told reporters. "Some may say this is a draconian step, but we cannot underestimate the threat that our planet may be facing. There is no telling which heroes may have been turned – even unwittingly – to the side of our enemies."

The European Union has already ordered all members of EuroGuard back to their home countries, prompting one member – co-leader Bielo – to angrily quit the team. "Bureaucrats and politicians talk and talk," he was overheard to say, "While the true heroes stand with their backs to the wall, defending civilization. I will not submit to the talkers."

Sources say that several other superheroes around the world have gone into hiding. "When the entire planet is asking who these people are and where their loyalties lie, their response is to skulk into the shadows," Reid said. "I think that tells you that our suspicions are warranted."

UNTIL also released the true names and photographs of all the members of UTC. "If you see any of them," Reid said, "Please call UNTIL. Do not – I repeat, do not – attempt to detain them yourself, as they are very powerful and are considered highly dangerous."

Senator Hank Goodkind of the United States submitted a bill to the US Senate authorizing PRIMUS to turn over all records of its members to UNTIL. "We have nothing to hide," he told reporters. "As responsible members of the international community, we have a responsibility to set an example for the rest of the world. Anyone who hides who they are only looks more guilty – and that is something we can't stand for in this day and age."

UNTIL also announced that, due to the crisis, it is upgrading UNITY Team D's status to Active. "Though we are a new team," UTD leader Pan-Africa said, "We hope the world will rest assured that we will do all that is within our power to defend it. The future is bright, and we will make sure that all peoples experience it together."

John returned in the afternoon with news about the heroes' families. "They're all being held on Yggdrasil," John said. "They're being kept well, not tortured or anything like that. They aren't being allowed access to any communication with the outside world. Red Dragon's little sister seems to be taking it well, Ifrita's dad is furious, and Straight Arrow's family is just confused by the whole thing." This bit of news relieved our heroes and allowed them to concentrate on other matters.


Ifrita thought the strange radio signals that NAIC was receiving were significant. "What if they are signals to hidden sleeper agents?" she asked. "We might be able to find out their plans if we can decipher the message."


This seemed like a good idea, but Straight Arrow and New Man knew one thing that might be a problem. They had a brief conversation, then called Vilkacis in. "Remember when New Man scanned your mind a couple of weeks ago?" Straight Arrow asked. "Well, he found something quite disturbing. In fact, so disturbing that we're not sure we'll be able to trust you for much longer."


Vilkacis begged them to tell him what it was that had been buried in his mind. "If you tell me, perhaps together we can get it out of my head completely. We can do it in a controlled environment, rather than having it accidentally slip out in the heat of combat. It is better to learn these things as a group then to find them out individually and let the trust we rely on erode completely. Right now, with the whole world against us, we have to be able to trust one another. In Soviet Union, we learned to never trust anyone, but I have discovered in my time with you that we are stronger when we are able to put our lives in each other's hands and rely on everyone equally."


It was an impassioned plea, but Straight Arrow wasn't completely convinced. "We are not sure," he told his Russian friend, "That even as hard as you try, you won't be able to resist the programming. It's too much a part of you. But we'll think about it."


The team formed a plan to raid one of the NAIC stations in the Mediterranean Sea so they could get a full copy of the radio signal, and before they left on their mission they held a group pow-wow. They asked Vilkacis to remove his armor and give up his weapon, and then they revealed the big secret:


Vilkacis is a Wraith.


The Wraiths, they learned, are a race of parasitic shape-shifters. Vilkacis' shadow form is what these alien creatures really look like. They infest and assume control not of individuals, but of entire societies. Long ago, they infested Mondabi culture; now they want Earth. Vilkacis was sent to Earth as a sleeper agent, but he was injured. The injuries made him forget what he really was and caused him to completely assume his cover identity.


Vilkacis refused to believe any of this. Why, he remembered his parents, he remembered his grandfather, he remembered everything! He was no alien; he was completely loyal to Earth. New Man read Vilkacis mind and found confusion, disbelief, and anger – but no alien thoughts. They decided that the programming was still buried deeply, and that they could still trust him.


The mission to the NAIC station was as simple as could be. It was lightly guarded, and New Man, Vilkacis, and Aurora slipped in without any problem. Aurora found a recording of the alien message and listened to it. She was shocked – it was not a code, it was someone speaking in her native language!


A female voice was saying, "Can anybody hear this? We are being held prisoner on the Mondabi flagship. Massive fleet is headed towards Earth. The UNITY humans have been captured and are being held prisoner; I attempted to aid them and got caught. Can anyone read this? Please help us; I cannot keep this broadcast up for much longer. Our coordinates are X,Y,Z. Please help us."


The three heroes snuck out as easily as they got in, and Aurora told Straight Arrow what she had learned. The heroes decided that they had to find the Mondabi fleet and rescue UTA, but the only way to do that would be to steal a Grungnir, and the only Grungnir on Earth was in the hands of UNTIL.


UTC thought of a daring plan… to lure UTB down to the southern hemisphere (where they couldn't teleport) and ambush them, then steal their plane before they knew what hit them. It was bold enough that it just might work…


To be continued!

[hooligan x]

YIKES! I gotta move to Colorado!

[APE]

uuoo! I love this story.

[Enforcer84]

CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolneatCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool

[Lonewalker]

CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolneatCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool
CoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCoolCo olCoolCoolCoolCoolCool

I don't know, Bill. That's only 161 "Cools" out of a possible 162. You might want to work on that poor score. I'll refuse to play anymore if we can't keep the gaming quality up to snuff.

-Lonewalker

[Cardinal]

It is always nice to see when a GM can hit everyone single one of his players with NPC and Secret ID issues in one stroke.

Great story and keep it up.

[Virtue]

Oh No the Wraiths are going to take over the world just as they have control over the UN and Until now Unity C must unite all the True Heros of the World and save them from the Wraiths

(If there ever was a reason to move to Colorado)

[teh bunneh]

Thanks guys. Though from this point forward, GMing the game will become more difficult, since we are treading into unknown territory and I have no earthly idea what happens next. I don't generally like to GM without a plan, though I've done it before to pretty good effect. Right now, all I know for sure is that there is an alien fleet headed towards Earth, and that certain segments of UNTIL are compromised. And I'm not at all certain what the PCs will do next, which makes it hard to plan.

I'm hoping to wrap the UNITY 2010 game up by January, but we'll just have to see what happens next...

[teh bunneh]

Still on the run from UNTIL, UTC found an anonymous boat to Africa where they would put their audacious plan into motion. Ifrita took a quick detour to Slovakia, where she found Bielo doing what he did best – saving people's lives. She asked for his help in taking the fight to the aliens, but he had to refuse. His power, he told her, diminishes when he is away from the soil of his beloved Europe. He would keep the home fires burning and could be counted on if they needed his assistance closer to home.

At the same time, Mitarbeit took a short trip to Kenya to meet with Gazelle, who was eager (annoyingly eager) to help.

The heroes made it to Burundi without trouble and found a small hotel to hole up in while they scouted the area. They learned (from spying on the local UNTIL troops) what the SOP for capturing the heroes was – if UTC is spotted in the area, the troops are not to confront them, but to immediately call for backup. UTB or UTD will come as quickly as possible to capture the traitors.

This fit in with our heroes' plans perfectly. They began to make a series of random appearances throughout the city, pretending to be hiding but in reality making certain that they got spotted by local law enforcement. As they were led to believe, a few short hours later the Grungnir arrived in the city. From a distance, the heroes spotted five UNITY members, though it was hard to see who they were.

Aurora and Vilkacis scouted the ship, now parked in a secured hangar. It was guarded by about a dozen UNTIL agents, and at least one person was still inside the ship. Aurora got a good look at that person's aura, and to her it very much resembled Vilkacis'. Aurora also detected strange magnetic waves in the area, leading her to believe that Rocksteady was somewhere in the area.

Certain that the person inside the ship was a disguised Wraith, the heroes quickly came up with a new plan. Vilkacis, Aurora, Thich Nat Han, and New Man would raid the hangar and take the ship without harming any of the UNTIL agents (capturing the Wraith would be a bonus). Meanwhile, Straight Arrow, Mitarbeit, Ifrita, Red Dragon, and Gazelle would distract the UNITY team. The plan was set in motion.

In the center of downtown Bujumbora, Straight Arrow and his team made a public appearance… but seconds after they revealed themselves, UNITY Team D was there! It was an ambush! Mitarbeit was entrapped in one of Phreak's gadgets, Red Dragon took a hurled manhole cover in the face (via Pan-Africa) and a powerful kick to the ribs (via Singapore Star), Ifrita was hit by a bolt of Brigette's lightning, and Straight Arrow narrowly avoided a blast of White Tuxedo's pure magical light.

Though the heroes didn't know who tipped UTD off, they had to defend themselves, and the fight was on. However, UTD's relative lack of field experience worked against them. Phreak went down to a vicious pummeling from Ifrita and Gazelle, and Star was taken out by a combination of Red Dragon's blade and Straight Arrow's bow.

There was a lull in the fighting, and Mitarbeit begged Pan-Africa to stop this. "You know me," she told him. "We trained together. You know I'm not capable of betraying the world to the Mondabi. We've been set up. You have to believe us – we're working to save the world, not to harm it. UNITY Team A is still alive, and we are going to save them!"

Pan-Africa considered this. "I'm going to see to my injured teammates," he told her. "Which means I'm going to have to turn my back to you for a few seconds." Over their loud protests, he told White Tuxedo to see to Star and Brigette to check out Phreak. UTC took the hint and hastily made off toward the rendezvous point – but not before dropping a copy of the information that Straight Arrow had assembled.

Meanwhile across town, New Man and Thich Nat Han approached the UNTIL hangar disguised as an UNTIL Colonel and his aide. "You people are needed at HQ," he told the guards at the door. "Haven't you heard? UTC has been spotted in town!" The guards were reluctant to leave, but a little mental nudging convinced them to go, leaving the door unguarded. Thich and New Man walked in unopposed to find nearly a dozen UNTIL soldiers staring at them.

At this distraction, Aurora (hidden inside the hangar's electrical junction box) popped out and zipped over to the Grungnir to help take out the person inside. As she did so, however, she noticed the magnetic fields in the hangar suddenly grow stronger. She dreaded what she knew was about to happen – Rocksteady, who had been hidden inside a metal crate on the floor, stood up.

At the same time, Vilkacis shadowed up to the Grungnir and slipped into the cargo bay. And what did our Soviet hero find within? Tune in next week to find out!

To be continued!

[Virtue]

You cant end this game these Heros should continue to save the world for many more months and against many more threats to the world

(Maybe they should enlist some Villains help to save the world if they cant get enough heros to belive them

[teh bunneh]

UNITY Recap for December 3 2005
Vilkacis, Aurora, New Man, and Thich Nat Han found themselves in the UNTIL Secure Hangar along with a dozen UNTIL agents, Team B member Rock Steady, and the Grungnir they intended to steal.

Vilkacis snuck in through the back of the plane. Aurora entered through the hull and immediately went to the cockpit. She found no one there so immediately began to prep the plane for take-off… except she had no idea how to do that (she had been too busy checking the jet's entertainment system while Straight Arrow had been giving demos). Instead, she concentrated on figuring out how to open the outside doors.

New Man attempted to trick the UNTIL agents by creating the illusion of him and Thich Nat Han racing for the hangar doors. The agents seemed fooled, until Rock Steady blasted New Man. The mentalist collapsed in a heap. Thich Nat Han immediately teleported his unconscious teammate closer to the plane.

Rock Steady and the UNTIL agents advanced on Thich Nat Han, but he was too quick for any of them. Once he got within range, he teleported Rock Steady out of the hangar (which effectively took the slow-moving alien out of the fight), then tossed New Man into the plane and jumped in after him.

Luckily, Thich Nat Han had paid attention to Straight Arrow's lessons, so he started the plane. Meanwhile, Aurora and the now awake New Man went to the back of the plane to see what was keeping Vilkacis. They found him tossing an unconscious Spellbreaker out the back. "I had a little trouble," Vilkacis said. "But it's all taken care of now."

New Man didn't exactly trust Vilkacis, so he mind-scanned the Russian hero, but he found nothing to confirm his suspicions. The plane took off before UNTIL could scramble any other defenses, and they picked up the second team at the local rendezvous point.

Straight Arrow took the plane up into orbit, and then took some time to dismantle all its tracking devices. The heroes knew that this was the only interstellar craft UNTIL had available so they wouldn't be followed, but they wanted to make certain anyway.

Following the co-ordinates that Aurora discovered, the heroes raced into interstellar space, hoping to intercept the alien fleet before it arrived. But then came the question… what do we do when we find it? Their tiny ship was no match for the combined might of the Mondabi Empire. They tossed ideas back and forth and eventually came to the conclusion that they had to hijack a smaller Mondabi craft, and use that to try to sneak aboard the flagship where Team A was being held.

They went on the lookout for a scout ship or some other straggler, and as luck would have it, eventually found one. Vilkacis recognized it as a long-range communications vessel with a crew of maybe 15-20, mostly technicians. It was perfect. Straight Arrow blocked their communications and then gave chase.

Apparently, the pilot of the comm craft was new, because Straight Arrow had no trouble at all catching the fleeing ship. Tank, Vilkacis, and Aurora all went out the airlock to board the enemy ship while Thich Nat Han prepared to teleport Red Dragon directly into the Mondabi's control room.

Unfortunately, the alien pilot had a stroke of luck. When he heard Tank's heavy footsteps on his hull, he veered just as Thich Nat Han was teleporting his comrade. Red Dragon appeared just outside the alien ship. Panicked, Thich brought him back aboard, but Red Dragon was not happy. "Don't do that again," he gasped.

"Do it again," Straight Arrow ordered, and Thich teleported the angry samurai back to the Mondabi ship. This time, fortunately, he hit his target.

Inside the ship, Red Dragon appeared in the midst of a group of Mondabi who were furiously working on some kind of alien computer system. A red mist closed over his eyes. In seconds, all the Mondabi were dead – but this did not quell his bloodlust. He burst from the room to find several aliens rushing to see what the disturbance was. Before they could even shout out a warning, they too had met their fates on the samurai's sword. Red Dragon, still overcome by his rage, charged into the next room to find the pilots franticly trying to simultaneously draw their sidearms and pilot the ship. They also met their fate.

Meanwhile, Aurora, Tank, and Vilkacis broke through the alien ship's airlock and stepped aboard. A group of Mondabi guards waited to greet them with a hail of blaster fire… that did no damage whatsoever. Aurora shocked one guard into unconsciousness, Tank grabbed three of them and squeezed all the air out of their lungs, and Vilkacis tackled the last one, taking him prisoner. "Take me to your commander!" the Russian told the alien, who quickly agreed.

Back on the Grungnir, Thich Nat Han was preparing to teleport the rest of the heroes over. Gazelle (eager to go, despite what had happened to Red Dragon) was next. She appeared in the same room that Red Dragon had, and the sight of the mangled Mondabi corpses freaked her out. She ran away from that room, straight into Vilkacis' team. Seeing a Mondabi with them, she immediately attacked, pounding the alien into next week.

"Thank you so much," Vilkacis remarked dryly. "You have saved us from my PRISONER!"

"Oops," she said, sheepishly, and then told them about the carnage in the next room.

The fight was over now; most of the crew of the long-range ship were dead, the rest were unconscious. Vilkacis took over the controls and the two ships docked. Gazelle was sent to clean up Red Dragon's mess (since New Man refused to board unless all those bloody corpses were cleared away!).

Straight Arrow found Red Dragon in a side room with the severed head of one of the pilots. Red Dragon was very carefully cleaning it, which disturbed Straight Arrow greatly. "Get rid of that hideous thing," he ordered the samurai. "But I need it," Red Dragon protested. "One must always collect the heads of one's vanquished enemies." But Straight Arrow wouldn’t hear any of it, so Red Dragon reluctantly did as his daimyo commanded.

The heroes couldn't take the Grungnir, so they marked where it was on their charts and left it idling in space. Hopefully they'd be able to find it again when they came back. Vilkacis took the controls and the team headed off with all speed towards the alien fleet…

TBC!

[Virtue]

Red Dragon is going down a dark path (I like It!)

Are any of these NPCs or are they all Character now?

[teh bunneh]

You cant end this game these Heros should continue to save the world for many more months and against many more threats to the world

Thanks much for the vote of confidence, Virtue. I tend to run games that last approximately 1 year (give or take); dunno, I guess my attention span isn't long enough. I hear about people running the same campaign for 10 years or longer and I'm simply amazed. No, UNITY 2010 was intended to have a definite beginning, middle, and end, and we are approaching the end. But fear not, I'll almost certainly run something next year. Probably fantasy, but ya never know.

[teh bunneh]

Red Dragon is going down a dark path (I like It!)

Are any of these NPCs or are they all Character now?

Tank has always been an NPC (or as I call him, the GMPC). The heroes recruited Gazelle while they were in Africa -- she's an NPC. Everyone else has a player behind him/her.