SLA Industries
At Wall Gate 31 the players will be directed towards SHIVER station 312. There is a great deal of activity in the area with SCAF units circling overhead and fire trucks rushing by. The air is filled the sounds of gunfire, sirens, screams and an animal like baying. As the players make their way to the station they will pass camera crews, Dispersal SHIVERs, onlookers and a number of Operatives. Whilst most of the Operatives are heading towards the SHIVER station some stroll the other way informing the SHIVERs that they don’t wait for anyone. Within the SHIVER station Control Room an elderly man stands surrounded by his subordinates. Mr McGovern is SCL 7B and head of Engineering, Wall department. He will continue to direct the efforts of the work crews, waiting until a suitable number of Operatives have arrived. The room smells faintly unpleasant. The players can view the other Operatives whilst they wait, or try to question them to see if they know what has happened. If the players check out their opposition they may recognise the other Operatives present.
Razorback, Male Human, Strike Squad, SCL 10, Blocker / FEN603
Silk, Female Human, Business Administrator, SCL 8B, Business suit / FEN 204 Gunhead. Here representing the “Retro Junkies” and the “Titanium Dackary” Squads
Elixir, Female Human, Medical, SCL 9A, Blocker / FEN603 / GASH Pacifier.
Nightmare, Male Brainwaster, Kick Murder, SCL 8C, Deathsuit / Flick Sythe / Vibro Disc
Shroud, Female Wraith Raider, Scout, SCL 7C, PP100 Crackshot / FEN 400 Surekill
Boom-Boom, Female Brainwaster, Death Squad, SCL 7A, Deathsuit / Twin Flintlocks
Eventually McGovern will look around and proclaim “With me people” and stride into an elevator requesting “Floor Twelve”. Exiting from the twelfth level he will stride across a walkway on to the sector wall. As the lift rises the smell gets worse. With some fans destroyed by the collapse and the fans on the wall to either side standing still with the disrupted power the stench from the Cannibal Sector is almost a living entity which smothers the players as they exit the lift onto the top of the wall. McGovern will lead the Ops to a command tower before gesturing out of the window along the wall. Greeting the players is a scene of devastation, a section of the wall, over a mile long, has been reduced to rubble. Much of the rubble appears to have fallen inwards, destroying some of the Downtown buildings and producing the famous domino effect so familiar to so many disasters on the crowded streets of Mort. Figures can be seen scattered across the wreckage and the SCAFs flit above before swooping out to the Sector.
“That’s our problem. Someone brought the wall down. We don’t know who yet. A Channel Resistance short claimed the honours for DarkNight but it was a black blip so we figure they were lying. Since then we’ve had 11 Soft Companies claiming responsibility, 7 of those we’ve never heard of previously. We’ve got wall power down half a mile either side of the gap, and our wall guards are stretched near breaking point. We’ve got collapsed drains, cracks leading down below, rats and pigs checking out the leftovers, a blocked gauss train, multiple trapped civilians, buildings near collapse, and every sick mutant bastard in the belt heading this way. You hear it, that wailing, Carrien dawn chorus, seeing as how they’re just getting up. Sounds like every damn one of them joining in, spreading the news. Course if Digger comes to see what all the noise is about we can probably kiss all this goodbye. We got about an hour till nightfall when the zone really comes alive. There also exists the possibility that whoever did this might breach another wall, I hope to God that Three doesn’t go.”
Those Operatives making STREETWISE or SLA INFO rolls will be aware that a Black Blip is a sound only broadcast (no pictures). Digger is THE manchine and Cannibal Sector Three houses the highest proliferation of War Criminals of any Cannibal Sector, lots of big men with big guns (as opposed to “Big Guns for Big Men” which is an advertising slogan for Military Assault Laminates as is “Never Mind the Price, Feel the Calibre”).
McGovern continues “Right, basic duties are that you pretend to be a wall and keep whatever is out there out there. For those who you who don’t want to be stationary we need rescue teams and medics in the buildings. If you’re really itching for action go out in the zone and pick em off before they get this far and start bothering the work crews. If you meet any game that’s too big for you tell us if it’s heading our way, the SCAFS have already picked up a couple of big congregations of Carriens forming and squads have been sent. Standard bounties apply. Yes there are plenty of camera crews around the area, yes this is cleared as a media event, so you can be a big star and claim your five seconds of fame on tonights news, frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing was a Gorezone set-up, but for the benefit of any Observation Stations watching please note that I am saying that with a whimsical smile upon my face. Well what are you waiting for people, a written invitation from Mr Slayer.”
The choice of actions is up to the players, as they move off they will see more Operatives arriving at the scene. Ahead of them they can see a number in position on the mounds of rubble, their guns trained on the wasteland beyond. Others head into the sector, striding confidently for the viewing millions or sneaking into the desolation. Camera crews seem as numerous as rescue teams, the latter formed of official SHIVER rescue as well as concerned civilians (or looters if you have a cynical mind).
What remains of the wall is littered with the bodies of wall guards in their dark green Blocker Armour. A few mangled FEN 204 ‘Gunhead’ 10mm SMGs are scattered about near to the guards. This weaponry upgrade from the standard SHIVER issue of a GA 9442 Browbeater makes SHIVERs on wall duty feel valued and makes the duty more bearable.
Strung out along the rubble the remaining SHIVERs stand alongside (though generally a short distance away from) the range of Operatives who have answered the summons. Most have taken up position behind or on top of a handy mound of rubble. Snipers gazing along the sight of their FEN 30-30 True Shot or FEN 400 Sure Kill, their Scout Helmets making their view of the darkened Cannibal Sector as clear as day. Other Operatives lounge with a FEN 706 Power Reaper 2.1000 or a MAL Assault Cannon at the ready. Elsewhere, both as individuals and in small groups, Operatives stand with only a GASH Chain Axe, DPB Vibro Sabre or Flick Scythe gripped in eager hands. Their eyes scan the rubble ahead, with an occasional glance behind to make sure that a camera crew is still nearby. The Power Claymore is also much in evidence with an entire battle squad of Clan McGiver Frothers having laid claim to the centre point of the breach. This claim however appears to be contested by the close presence of a Shaktar Honour Guard, all having donned their scarves of Honour signifying their readiness to die defending the breach (the Squad “Kev’s Boyz” after their financier/leader K’vk K’gn). The Shaktars voices are raised in a well known war chant whilst the Frothers’ have a less respectable chant of their own. The players will even spot a couple of Operative wearing Power Projects 104 Dogeybone Armour (although no MAL Shock Armour can be seen).
Repair crew busy themselves searching the rubble for survivors and rigging up emergency lighting. Whatever spotlamps were available have been strung out upon the rubble although this seems to only intensify the areas of deep shadow. Thumper beacons have been rammed in here and there providing light in a somewhat disorientating scattered display of rhythmic coloured pulses. Due to the uneven geography of the rubble Operatives cannot get an overall view of the area and are often out of sight of the surrounding Ops.
Guardians upon the wall will face hoards of Carriens. These packs will include Greater Carriens and many will be carrying weaponry, as these are the slightly more intelligent Sector One Carriens. Cannibals may also try sneak attacks and will certainly be wearing armour and using weapons. The occasional rat pack and carnivorous pig may also make an appearance emerging from a cracked sewer beneath the rubble.
Whilst snipers bring the attackers down at a distance, others wade in hand to hand. At one point some Ops get quite upset when a sniper brings down a scythe wielding Greater Carrien that was coming their way, they consider it a waste of a fine photo opportunity. The main event however will be a visit from a Manchine erupting from the sewers beneath. Whilst the cry of “Digger” will go up (requiring a FEAR CHECK against a Rating of 10) it is not the father of Manchines but a later Terminator Technologies (T2) “Zenith” version. It is more humanoid in appearance than Digger being constructed around a humanoid frame. It is armed with in-built hand blades (equivalent to a Gash Fist) and is carrying a old fashioned Lock ‘n’ Load Ripper SMG (Lock ‘n’ Load were brought out by FEN in 582 SD). It originally had an in built 5mm arm cannon but this ran out of ammunition a very long time ago. It will start by dispatching several Operatives near to the player's section of the wall.
Some Operatives, too hyped or too sure of their abilities to wait, can be seen heading off into the Cannibal Sector. Their appearance and tactics are as varied as those Operatives standing guard upon the wall. Most seem to fall into the Scout or Psychopath categories, the majority of the latter having a film crew circling them like satellites. Cue Carriens, cannibals, pigs and all
At some point the players will receive communication from Control that a camera crew from Channel Elevens’ “Whole World of Pain” program have got themselves trapped in the Sector close to the players position and require rescue. Having followed “Gash and Slash” a mixed Squad of Stormers and Frothers into the area they got great footage of a run in with a Carrien nest before the squad was ambushed by a Cognate, identified as The Bad Mojos, a Downtown death cult off-shoot. The camera crew ran and hid, they don’t think they were pursued but they now want an escort out. They are currently holed up in a ruined factory on Restitution Alley and have a direct link to the studio, although they are not being broadcast as hiding does not give good ratings.
The Cognate is in fact lying in wait, they have been paid by the Soft Company responsible for the explosion. Storm Security and their Prop Mr Ex plan to catch another Squad then loot the bodies of both and run. They set up an ambush by wiring a building up with explosives and having the Cognate lead the battle happy Ops into it. The camera crew will be able to inform the players that the Cognate appears and fired a few shots then ran when the Ops charged. Then there was a huge explosion and a building fell on the Ops. The crew don’t think that they were seen, but in fact they were and Mr Ex has planned a few more surprises for anyone who comes after the crew.
Not all of the surprises are down to the Soft Company however. Not all of the Operatives were killed by the building collapse, some are just buried and unconscious. ZZ, a Stormer has just finished regenerating and he is clawing his way out. He will explode from the rubble and dust in a very, very bad mood. This may be used to help or hinder the players. After all he will attack anyone nearby when he emerges. He will at first use his claws but will grab any weapon that comes to hand.
The power lines have come down along with the walls and a handy Op will be required to climb the power tower and secure the trailing cables or cut them free. The volunteer will require CLIMBING and STRENGTH rolls. More worrying is that they will have to contend with a DK Sniper who has arrived on the scene in order to make use of the confusion. He has already picked off a defender on the wall and will see the climber as a prime target.
Following in the wake of the sniper a DarkNight camera crew will appear to get some good shots of an Op in trouble and suffering civilians.
| PV | ID | Hits | |
| Head | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Torso | 7 | 20 | 15 |
| Arms | 7 | 15 | 7 |
| Legs | 7 | 17 | 8 |
Comments / questions to Martin Wheeler