Path of the LIoness - Campaign Journal #3

FSS Lioness

Captain Josiah Greene

Second Pentagon piece uncovered

Second one found, first one kept. Three more to find.

After several days of work we had dug a tunnel under Mr. Walpole's ranch, down to the chamber where our sensors indicated we would find the next piece of this mysterious pentagon. Zeke and I were the first to enter the chamber, and it was as we expected, circular with a round dome ceiling. A map projector sat on a pedestal and the second pentagon piece was on the wall, just like last time. We took images of all the inscriptions and carefully moved the piece up to the surface. We did not have long to celebrate before the trouble we expected started.

A large paramilitary craft on contra-grav swooped in on the ranch within minutes of our bringing the pentagon piece to the surface.

Four men in combat gear piled out of the g-carrier, covered us with auto-rifles and demanded that we hand over the pentagon piece. Zeke suggested that they soak their heads instead. That’s when the shooting started. The attackers took cover behind one of the dirt piles we made.

From this point, I’m relying on Carter’s report, as I got hit early and lost consciousness.

Zeke rushed them, Diego dove into the excavation hole, and Svetlana pulled me behind some cover on the other big mound of dirt. 

Mr. Walpole grabbed his shotgun and took a swipe at the trespassers, and was shot for his trouble. Dr. Marx says he’ll be ok. 

Carter and Wally lifted the pinnace so that Carter could use the ship’s gun. He killed one, and chased the others behind the dirt pile and blew some craters in the yard. After losing the targets, Wally landed again, and he and Carter ran to help Diego and Zeke. 

Zeke got in close and was brawling with two of the guys before he got knocked down. Diego ran to help him, but the attackers shot him too. He’s in bad shape, but Dr. Marx was able to pull him through.

After Zeke took out another attacker, the last remaining one ran back for the carrier and tried to take off. Zeke started a boarding action, and made it half-way into the hatch as the carrier took off. 

At this point Vince, Big Al, Marcus and John arrived. They had piled into the air/raft and made an emergency drop when they saw the attackers arrive.

Vince steered the air/raft above the carrier to prevent it from taking off, and Carter, with a boost from Wally, succeeded in jumping up and getting aboard, hauling Zeke after him. The two of them overpowered the last attacker and brought the carrier down again.

Vince and Dr. Marx rushed Diego and me back to the ship for surgery, leaving Zeke to clean up the scene at the ranch.

We have the second map projector, and the computer is working on matching it to current star charts. We have a piece of the pentagon now, and the map to the next one. I still have no idea what it's all about.  

All we got out of our captive, before the local constabulary took him away was that his group had been hired on Mavellar by an agent working for someone else. They were to report to the agent when they had what we now have, the agent would take the objects back to his employer. I wonder who this employer is.