Fallout Shelter: The Great Purge

[Part of the Wasted Land story]

Unable to reach the exit due to a flanking swarm, the remaining Vault 40 survivors retreat into separate rooms and lock the doors. This of course only serves to trap them. The roaches soon invade the power station and make quick work of Smedley, Carol Black and Payday.

Totally freaking out, Shocklord uses his lightning powers and full blast - eliminating waves of the insects but at the same time hitting the power generator itself. The machine goes into overload and explodes, setting most of the vault on fire. While this does force the roaches to flee, the fires also roast alive Jane, Nicki, Lanfey, Rage Metalhead, Hawkes, Charybdis and Shocklord himself.

Everything's on fire!

Only Maxine and Bardo who managed to hide in a bathtub of water survive the event, and with the coast clear, opt to take their chances in the wasteland rather than remain in this awful and forsaken place. Eventually both women give birth to sons, and are forced to try find another place to stay away from the radiation. It is then they find a similar looking door imprinted with "Vault 465".

Insight: You can revive deceased dwellers for caps, just not in survival mode.

Fallout Shelter: Horrors in the Dark

[Part of the Wasted Land story]

While their new accommodations were cozy and quite self sustaining, it soon became clear that Yazan's group were quite deprived of female attention much to Charybdis and Hawkes detriment. Now with "fresh meat" available they soon came to forcing themselves upon the rest of the females in the group whom they divided and "conquered".

Seeing that conflict was inevitable, Smedley began rallying his crew but a shrill scream signaled the presence of a new threat.

There in the living quarters they found Luna, decapitated by a giant radroach... and more of the vermin soon crawled out from the vents looking to feast on their new visitors! Any thoughts of fighting each other quickly vanished as both teams began battling the insectoid invaders but had to fall back against the increasing enemy numbers.

Totally heading the way of Terraformars here...

Eventually even the amazing skills of Guin are not enough as the tiger man is brought down by the horrible foe. This causes the remaining survivors to panic and flee.

Insight: Survival mode is serious business and makes everything harder! Don't jump straight into it like I did here!

Fallout Shelter: Vault 40

[Part of the Wasted Land story]

They didn't know what triggered the explosion, but Smedley knew that it was bad. He quickly took his nearby crew of Carol Black, Payday, Maxine, Nicki Law (who had escaped captivity), Bardo and Lanfey to a safe shelter he knew about that had imprinted on the entrance in large, faded letters "Vault 40". Accompanying them were also his two prized prisoners, Luna and Jane (whom Payday captured after her previous appearance).

By the time they reach there, another more colorful group - composed of Yazan Barghouti, Guin, Rage Metalhead, Shocklord and their two slaves Hawkes and Charybdis were already at the door, trying to gain entry. After a brief standoff, Smedley and Yazan agreed it would be better if both groups simply worked together and so entered the foreboding bunker as one.

What could go wrong?

Insight: Each room uses a different stat to operate, and power is most important because without power nothing else works.

FTL: Who the F* Cares?

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

"What the hell, Morty! I-Is this some sort of game?" asked Rick as he fiddled with the little data cube in one hand, and a manifest datapad on the other.

"No! Come on Rick, that Charboobie lady said that we - we need to deliver the thing to the Federation to help save the universe!"

"Urgh. Fine," Rick replied with an eye-roll before tossing the data pad to a waiting droid that beeped in annoyance. "THIS SHIP REQUIRES THREE CREW."

"You!" pointing at Summer idling nearby. "Get into the gunner seat and shoot the shit I tell you to!" Rick commanded, followed by a swig of his flask.

"Cool!" she replied as she ushered her little brother Morty up into the Kestrel class vessel. Rick followed but was stopped by the droid who rolled into his way and beeped "SHIP REQUIRES NAME".

"Who the fuck cares?" Rick said angrily as he kicked the droid aside as an emphasis on the word "fuck".

Ship's name successfully registered!

With all the crew aboard the droid righted itself back up and announced "WHO THE F* CARES? CLEAR FOR LIFT OFF".

"Summer!" yelled Rick from the cockpit. She replied by firing destroying the droid with the lasers.

Insight: If it wasn't obvious yet, this game is a rogue like which means you can only save when you quit. Otherwise, what happens - happens!

FTL: Above and Beyond

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

As the rest of her team lifted off, Charybdis boarded the second Kestrel named "Above and Beyond", having hired two ex-military guys to help her fly it - West and Hawkes, who prove their experience by easily taking down some pirates and saving the slave O'Reagan from his asteroid prison - defeating four rebel enemies in a space dock shootout.

After restocking with the Engi and stealthing through a nebula sector they enter Zoltan space and encounter a Rock vessel attacking a science outpost. Before they destroy Rocks, the enemy manages to hit West with a terrible beam causing him to de-age rapidly into non-existence!

I don't think he even got a saving throw...

With nothing to do for him, the crew save the scientists and recruit one of them - Ferediam the Zoltan to take his place. Unfortunately they have no choice but to proceed into Rock controlled space next and run into ship after ship of hostiles in a massive asteroid field, destroying them all but taking severe damage in return.

Despite their depleted status they rush to the aid of another civilian refugee ship being attacked by a Rock cruiser, barely winning the fight. As the civilian ship moves into dock with them to assist with repairs, Charybdis gets light-headed as Hawkes, O'Reagan and Ferediam all faint. She realizes too late that their oxygen system was badly damaged in the last fight and tries to get there to repair it but her legs give way and everything goes black...

When she awakes she and her crew have been saved by the civilians who were quickly flying away from the incoming rebel / Federation war. Unfortunately the Above and Beyond could not be saved as Ferediam self destructed (as is the Zoltan way) and so was dismantled for scrap. This included the all important data cube that was in the cockpit.

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: As energy beings, Zoltans provide one extra bar of energy to whatever station they man. That's pretty cool! Just be careful if they die, because they do so explosively!

FTL: The Marauder

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

After years of mercenary work, Rattlesnake looked on unhappily as the last of their mechs were traded in for coin. His wife, Silverlight, gave him a hug of assurance. "It's the right thing to do. This information needs to reach the Federation Fleet as fast as possible and the best chance for that to happen is with as many ships as we can afford."

"Are you two done?" asked El Duce from the boarding plank of their new, Kestrel class spaceship 'The Marauder'. With a nod, they waved goodbye to their other team mate Charybdis who was organizing a different space craft for the same mission.

The starting screen with the starter Kestrel class ship.

As the first ship out, they soon found themselves tailed by a rebel scout and engage it in battle, testing El Duce's engineering and Silverlight's piloting. The rebel had no chance against Rattlesnake's gunnery though and began trying to escape but was destroyed by a well placed missile. The mission was off to a good start!

Insight: Unlike lasers, missiles go right through most shields.

BattleTech: A Final Duel

[Part of the BattleTech Story.]

While Lady Kamea's evil uncle is taken into custody and sent for trial, Lady Victoria is not so easily convinced to surrender - still holding a bunch of captives hostage. She challenges Lady Kamea to a ritual BattleTech duel in which both sides will field a lance to determine their true worth. Lady Kamea accepts, and requests the Marauders to be her backup. Gabriel knows he needs his best pilots on this, especially as the previously fielded mechs, including their Highlander trump card, are still severely damaged from the relay station conflict.

With Kamea in her Atlas, she is flanked by Silverlight piloting the Orion, Rattlesnake in a stock Thunderbolt and Gabriel himself in the Battlemaster as they enter the arena. Lady Victoria is in a King Crab, supported by a Jagermech, Cataphract and an Awesome. While the Marauders go left and take care of the Jagermech and Cataphract while luring Victoria's King Crab by slowly damaging it with LRMs, Lady Kamea has difficulty against the Awesome on the right.

When Gabriel realizes that the King Crab is getting too close with it's deadly close range weaponry, he knows there is only one thing to do. "Rattlesnake, take care of the Highlander for me," he orders over the comms as he charges Lady Victoria, drawing fire from his team mates. She blasts limbs off his mech as he does so, but he somehow still reaches her for a headbutt before she finally unloads everything she has on him. Everyone screams as he explodes into blinding array of light and scrap metal.

The sight finally galvanizes Lady Kamea who eliminates the Awesome then flanks her cousin for one final alpha strike to the rear of the King Crab and coring it, killing Victoria once and for all. In the aftermath, Lady Kamea Arano is crowned queen of her people and her coronation also doubles as a remembrance for those who died getting her to the throne.

Long live the Queen!

As for the Marauders, Kid is reunited with her family and leaves the company.  Rattlesnake being the most veteran is now in charge and pilots the Highlander as Gabriel requested while his wife Silverlight rides the Atlas Lady Kamea once used. Unable to settle the life debt to Gabriel, Charybdis stays on with the Marauders as does El Duce, ready for whatever adventures come at them next.

BattleTech: Broadcasting Victory

[Part of the BattleTech Story.]

With the planetary defenses down, Lady Kamea's army began descending in earnest with numbers that would easily topple her evil uncles reserve troops, yet he refused to surrender and the reason soon became clear enough: Ostergaard and his Taurian Fortress dropship was on the way. The only chance of stopping him is through another "treasure" from Castle Nautilus - a terrible computer virus that has no known cure.

Gabriel, El Duce, Kid and Charybdis along with a few APCs make a lightning raid on the main relay station up in the mountains, guarded by a Directorate heavy lance and turrets. The Marauders cover the APCs well enough for them to reach their locations, at which point the soldiers within disembark and take control of the turret systems, making them fire upon the defenders.

More Directorate heavy lances are dropped right into the compound but are dealt with by the Marauders who are now taking a beating. The mission is successful though, and with minutes to spare Charybdis transmits the virus to Ostergaard's ship just as he is monologuing about his revenge plot. The result is his thrusters go into full power - towards the planet and there's nothing he or his crew can do about it.

Pwnzored.

With a massive, ear piercing and ground shattering crash the mighty Fortress Drop ship crashes and explodes into a massive ball of fire, killing Ostergaard and everyone on board. The spectacular sight is enough to make the remaining Directorate forces surrender on the spot, and the Marauders gain a fully functional Orion for their troubles.

BattleTech: Skill beats Gear

[Part of the BattleTech Story.]

By the time construction of the low gravity pool on board the Argo was done, the previously out of commission Kid, Silverlight and Rattlesnake were finally back on their feet. Based on security footage of the new recreation area it became clear to Gabriel that Rattlesnake and Silverlight were also more than co-workers and friends. He let them have their time together and took Charybdis, El Duce and Kid who was now eager to make up for her earlier failings, to fight against the Magistracy of Canopus who were raiding a planet on the border.

The Canopians brought some high class mechs, but unskilled pilots who kept overheating their bots and were easily flanked and defeated - earning the Marauders a springy Grasshopper mech. Soon afterwards, Lady Kamea made contact again - this time for the final push against her evil uncle. The first task would be to silence the orbital cannons by destroying 3 generators before her main force arrives. Leading the way in the Highlander, Gabriel took Charybdis in the Battlemaster, Kid in a Catapult and El Duce in the new grasshopper onto the field.

Artillery fire is pretty!

Being a timed mission, El Duce and Kid quickly sped off on separate paths to take down the further generators while Gabriel and Charybdis handled the defenses which now included Spider Spotter mechs who called in artillery strikes. It was still an easy mission however, as the strikes were predictable, and the defending lances unskilled. Additional defenders arrived too late afterwards, and were easily flanked by the fast moving Kid and El Duce. They stood no chance.

BattleTech: Royal Guard

[Part of the BattleTech Story.]

When Lady Kamea contacted the Argo for their next job, her voice sounded far more urgent than usual. A personal friend of hers who had been sent to collect data on the Directorate on a remote planet had been captured - and due to the positioning of her forces only her own ship and the Argo could mount a rescue mission. Gabriel explained that while the mechs were ready to go they were a number of pilots down due to the viral attack. Kamea's solution was simple: she brought her own.

With Gabriel in the Highlander, Charybdis in the Battlemaster, Reynard supporting in the Kintaro LRM platform, and Lady Kamea in her Atlas the team made planet fall and began wrecking the prison transport convoy, only to find it to be a decoy. Lady Victoria's voice came over the comms laughing at her cousin. This was a trap for her! Soon Directorate forces were dropping in almost as fast as they could destroy them.

Getting punched by a 100 ton mech has got to hurt!

It wasn't all for nothing however, as the spy left his intel at a nearby mountain outpost. The four of them made their way there quickly and held position under fire while the data downloaded. During this, Reynard suffered an internal explosion when he was flanked and he and the Kintaro exploded magnificently, what with all the tons of missiles still in their racks. The rest weren't doing that great either with Charybdis being saved at the last minute from flankers by Gabriel. Finally the download completed and the extract ship whisked them away before the Directorate forces overran the base. The data recovered was proof of just how much of a scum Kamea's evil uncle really is.

Lady Kamea returned to her main force afterwards to plan the next move, but Charybdis opted to stay with the Marauders as she now held a life debt to their commander.

BattleTech: Ostergaard's Rage

[Part of the BattleTech Story.]

"Kamea, you're about to have company," warned Gabriel over the comms as he watched the large red blip on the radar get closer. While his own people had already pulled out from Castle Nautilus, Kamea's support crafts were still loading the precious cargo that they found. "Let them come," replied Kamea defiantly. "My uncle doesn't have the resources to match these war machines."

"I don't think that's from Directorate ... it... it's a Taurian Fortress Class dropship! Get out of there!"

"Lady Kamea," boomed a new voice through the speakers as the ground began to quake with the . "I am Samuel Ostergaard, a new ally to the Directorate and I have come for your head!"

Knowing there was no time to waste, Kamea ordered a full evacuation and boarded the nearest Atlas mech while her body guards Charybdis, Reynard and Kanalon boarded other types of Starleague design as the rear guard. By the time the elevator returned them to the surface, light lances of Taurian mechs were already charging the castle but were easily wiped out by Starleague weaponry.

One of the smallest mechs punching the largest.

This didn't deter Samuel though, who simply sent waves of his own assault mechs in coordination with artillery strikes. It was a tough fight, with Kanalon being shredded limb from limb much like his Black Knight. Kamea's Atlas was also in bad shape towards the end, but her martial arts skills ended Ostergaard's final pursuer who blocked the way to the extraction point.

"I will find you Kamea," he promised on an open channel as she escaped. "I will avenge my son!"

Only when she was back in the safety of space did they realize Ostergaard's son was the pilot of the Newgrange, and because of that one death the Restoration had an entirely new and more powerful enemy house to deal with.