Richard's Index

Cool Regime Change -- Session Log 9/21/03

"Level Three"

Game Master: Richard McCluney

The PCs are getting ready to leave the Grimmans' base near the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Harmony and Terry will be staying to study the aliens' language. Terry will also be studying the telepathic elements their society.

As the PCs approach an intersection between two corridors, they hear running and shouting from the corridor on the right. They cannot understand the shouts in the Grimman language. These are followed by several twanging noises from the corridor on the left, and the PCs see several small arrows fly across the intersection. Jerry peeks around the corner. To the right are four humanoids, nearly naked, with green skin patterned like jungle camouflage, reloading short bows. To the right are two Grimmans in Mercenaries' Guild uniforms, aiming what look like electric razors at Jerry. Jerry ducks back and motions for the others to back up. From the right come short bursts of noise like a garbage disposal, followed by screams from the left. Benny's curiosity gets a hold of him, and he peeks around the corner. He sees two green-skinned humanoids down and bleeding, the other two aiming short bows at him. Jerry and Ginger pull Benny back out of harm's way. Two arrows bounce off the wall where Benny's head was.

Benny examines one of the arrows. It's metal, appears to be another artifact, possibly Grimman, that has been beaten into an arrow shape. The point is coated with a sticky, dark green fluid, quite likely poison.

There are more garbage-disposal noises and more screams. One green-skinned guy steps around the corner, bleeding from an arm. Jerry readies his taser, but delays using it. Ginger and Charles don't delay. They both fire handguns and hit the green guy in the chest. He falls down, unconscious. The two Grimman guards approach the fallen green guy and one of them fires his weapon point-blank into the green guy's head. There is no visible projectile or beam, but a wound like a bullet hole bursts open in the targeted area. The guards check the other green bodies for signs of life and, finding none, wander off without a backward glance.

Jerry notes that Company policy is to retrieve specimens for study when possible, so they claim two bodies to take back to headquarters. Benny examines their artifacts. In addition to their bows and arrows, each wears a leather loincloth patterned like their own skin, but darker. Each carries a small box which looks like the smaller nanofacs used by the Grimmans. They have no other equipment.

The PCs resume their trip out of the alien base. The Grimmans ignore them, dead bodies and all. As their leaving the base, Clark's cell phone makes a funny beeping noise. He looks at the display and curses. "Someone's tampered with the helicopter. It's flown back to headquarters on autopilot." Jerry speculates that it could have been one of the green guys. Ginger unpacks the messenger "bird bot" that came with the sealed message she received from headquarters, and sends it back with a message about the missing helicopter.

As the PCs are waiting for a reply, they notice U.S. military vehicles in the distance, approaching the Grimmans' base. The PCs, since their mission is still unofficial at this point, decide not to tangle with the military, and return to the Grimman base. They notice that since this morning, plants have sprouted between the buildings, including grassy lawns, three-foot-high bushes, and six-foot saplings. The plants appear to be from the Grimmans' homeworld, with foliage more blue than green. The PCs hide the bodies in the bushes and return to Tisa's office.

Harmony notes the blood on Jerry and Charles' clothes. The PCs describe their encounter with the green guys. Tisa identifies them as pests that infest the Grimmans' transport network. Charles says they wait for nightfall before leaving the base -- the black helicopters are almost impossible to see at night. Nightfall is two hours away.

Harmony shows them where the bathroom is. The facilities are similar to humans', except instead of bathroom tissue, there is a plant resembling Spanish moss growing in a niche in the wall by the toilet. They remember to wash their hands twice, once in each sink on the way out.

While waiting for their ride, they ask Tisa more about the green guys. Their society is another Third Level one, like the humans'. They've learned how to use the Grimman's nanofacs. For reasons the Grimmans don't understand, they feel compelled to engage in violent conflict. They eat the flesh of the victims of these conflicts, both of their own people and others. They've tried to eat Grimman flesh even though it's poisonous to them. The Grimmans' term for them translates as "Jungle Men." Jerry mentions a few Earth primitive tribes acted similarly until the recent past.

A messenger drone arrives from headquarters with a message that their ride is ready. They go back to where they stashed the bodies. The bodies have attracted some crab-like scavengers, a foot wide with several pairs of three-foot-long legs, and thick, bluish-gray shells. The crab creatures hiss and threaten the humans with their claws. Jerry throws his jacket over one, and Benny throws rocks at them. Charles wounds some with his handgun. The crab creatures give it up as a bad deal and scamper off. The PCs collect their specimens and head on to the helicopter, which has landed in a nearby clearing. They have to take care to avoid being spotted by the military guys. They hear people patrolling the woods -- whether human, Grimman, or Jungle Man, they don't know -- but manage to avoid them.

They return to Company headquarters. The specimens are handed over to an ecstatic Science Department. Jerry goes to take a shower. He notices the shower curtain seems to be falling apart. Some kind of mildewy stuff is growing on it. Someone from the Science Department collects the shower curtain. The Company does not have spare shower curtains stockpiled. Jerry has to take his shower without, then mop up the floor afterward.

The PCs are debriefed by their supervisors. [very sketchy notes here -- can't tell who said what] There is concern about the Grimmans' attitude toward the Jungle Men, and that they consider humans to be on the same level. The soldiers setting up a perimeter around the alien base are Virginia National Guard. They're trying to stop anyone from getting too close to the aliens. All kind of crazies and utopians are trying to get on the aliens' bases. The Ops are given new IDs saying they're working for the Department of Homeland Security -- these will get them past the Guard personnel. Speculation that the Jungle Men are slaves of another race. Jerry gets permission to submit more articles to the tabloid where he has his "day job." Because of Jerry's earlier scoop, the tabloid has a deal with the US government officially allowing Jerry access to the aliens for reporting purposes. Other media companies have also been granted access -- Jerry might be seeing some of his rivals on the alien base soon. They get an update on the spider-like AI they captured on the day the ring around the Earth appeared. It knows both Grimman and English, and has offered to translate for the Company in exchange for being released from confinement. It will accompany Jerry's team on future missions.

Jerry collects the dictionary and thesaurus they promised to bring Tisa, as well as some issues of National Geographic for the Level Three xenologist they are to meet, and a selection of human junk food for the aliens to try. Then Jerry joins Benny for sake and a discussion [which I have no notes on] of tomorrow's mission. The drink makes Benny sleepy and he turns in for the night.

Jerry researches human stone-age cultures for insight into the Jungle Men's culture. A couple things seem relevant. When people in cultures without metal encounter cultures with metal, they often reshape the metal artifacts to suit their own purposes. Another is the Cargo Cults of the South Pacific. Not understanding the Westerners' technology and economy, they perform quasi-magical rituals in an attempt to get similar material goods for themselves. Jerry thinks the Jungle Men's view of Grimman society might have something in common. Finally Jerry goes to bed.

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