Into the Wasteland - The City at the Edge of the Universe, Chapter 3

 

Felix looked excitedly over the array of exotic and futuristic goods available at the various stalls of the trading post, "What's THAT thing? Wait, what the heck is THAT?"

Scout Thomas and Officer Tucker were haggling with one of the sellers over how much they could get in exchange for some bottles of alcohol they brought from Williamsburg. They really needed a map of the area and some armor. 

Meanwhile, Rex left Vera in the hands of a healer, paid for with the credit obtained from the alcohol. 

The unlikely team regrouped. Officer Tucker laid out a plan, "We'll camp here tonight. Tomorrow I'm heading back into Williamsburg to get some more bottles of alcohol and bags of coffee. Those seem to be good trade items here. We'll also need more car parts for the trucks. These off-road trips are grueling. Who wants to go with me?"

Everyone raised their hands. 

"Good. Get some sleep tonight. Try not to interact too much with the locals. We don't want any unnecessary trouble." 

Chapter 3 - Into the Wasteland

What follows is a play-through of an adventure scenario I'm writing for Overlords of Dimension-25. The scenario is a survival hex-crawl where the player characters and their entire town are transported to a strange new dimension, only to be attacked by armored invaders intent on rounding up the townsfolk for a mysterious and nefarious purpose. 

This week, after having escaped the town and found their way to the Wasteland Trading Post, the party heads back into Williamsburg to secure some valuable trade goods.

Dramatis Personae

• Officer Bocephus "J.T." Tucker - Williamsburg police department - Level 1 Warrior
• Rex Werthy - construction worker - Level 1 Engineer
• Professor Thadeus Putnam - retired professor of anthropology - Level 1 Expert
• Felix Silla-Rossi - 15 year-old juvenile delinquent - Level 1 Rogue
• Scout Thomas - 16 year-old outdoorsman and YouTube personality - Level 1 Scout
• Vera - elderly lady with a broken leg - NPC

DM - This week the players had a list of gear they might find at the trading post. Each items has a percentage chance that item will be found at the trading post on that day. The players got excited to see some of the more exotic items on the list and were asking what each item was but I said, "If its not available, you don't see it, you can't ask about it." Which lead to a flurry of dice rolls to see what was available.

Item	Availability	Cost
Agricultural Equipment	60%	50
Alcohol, Bottle	60%	150
Backpack	80%	50
Battle Armor	40%	2500
Bio-Fuel Still	20%	3000
Bioscanner	30%	400
Body Armor, Light	90%	250
Bolt Gun	25%	250
Breather Helmet	2%	40
Camp Light	60%	30
Canteen	80%	1
Carry all	80%	10
Coffee, Preserved, 1 month	80%	100
Crawler	30%	50
Crossbow	40%	100
Cutlass	60%	100
Cutters	80%	20
Cutting Torch, Hand-held	10%	60
Dagger	80%	15
Dart	70%	15
Digging tools (5)	80%	40
Educational Computer	5%	500
Emergency Distress Beacon	20%	500
Entrenching Tool	40%	5
Fire Extinguisher	25%	10
Flier	5%	35000
Flight Pod	15%	15000
Floodlight	25%	15000
Food, Preserved, 1 meal	75%	5
Food, Preserved, 1 month	35%	120
Force Field	20%	900
Garments, 1 container	60%	50
Gillmask	60%	200
Goggles	75%	2
Grenade	50%	50
Grenade Launcher	45%	500
Grenade, Aerosol Mist	5%	50
Hand Light	60%	2
Heat Gun	20%	400
Heavy Gloves	70%	2
Hoverchair	15%	1500
Ice axe	75%	20
Jetcar	2%	20000
Knife	90%	10
Laser Gun	15%	300
Laser Rifle	10%	600
Laser Saw	25%	600
Load Lifter	25%	250
Locator	25%	70
Macroglasses	35%	150
Magnetic Keycard	45%	100
Mess Kit	65%	5
Microwave Gun	10%	350
Mono Knife	25%	200
Mono Sword	20%	2000
Needle Gun	35%	200
Net	60%	20
Night Vision Goggles	25%	50
Personal Communicator	40%	10
Personal Computer	35%	200
Personal Scooter	55%	200
Plasma Thrower	25%	800
Plasma Welder	25%	800
Plastic Crate	65%	2
Pole arm	75%	120
Power Generator	15%	600
Powerpack Charger	20%	200
Pressurized Tent	65%	250
Projector	55%	250
Rations, 1 week	75%	30
Remote Control	50%	30
Rocket Harness	60%	1000
Rocket Launcher	50%	1000
Rocket Pistol	40%	400
Rocket Rifle	30%	500
Rope, 50 ft	75%	25
Security Locker	85%	50
Shell, Aerosol Mist  (5)	5%	50
Shells, Chaff  (5)	5%	50
Signal Scrambler	55%	200
Sleeping Bag	60%	100
Small back-hoe	45%	500
Smartsuit	60%	1000
Snow Shoes	75%	30
Sonic Stunner	40%	300
Sports Ball	50%	5
Steel Cable, 100ft	80%	50
Swim Fins	65%	60
Sword	75%	150
Tarpaulin	65%	5
Technical Scanner	50%	500
Technical Tools	40%	150
Timer	30%	150
Tracer	25%	50
Traffic Regulator	65%	5
Translator	45%	40
Velocipede	55%	40
Watchbox	40%	400
Water, 10-gallon Container	20%	20
Water, 5-gallon Container	90%	10

I think I need to add some adventure hooks to this section to allow the characters to make money without having to venture back into Williamsburg - or make a venture back into Williamsburg more a part of the story options.

Night Raid

The groups spent the next morning perusing the stalls at the trading post and acquiring a map of the area.

They left the trading post the next day at 4pm. They drove slowly, creeping along the wild hilly terrain as the sun set. They arrived at the outskirts of the forested zone transported from our Earth at around 10pm. They took the west highway, driving east towards town at about 40 mph. Once they got close to the outskirts of town they once again slowed to a crawl and turned off their lights. They pulled into the sawmill which was still beyond the roadblock set up by the Martians. 

After a quick trip into the sawmill to get some repair parts for the trucks they cut through the woods on foot towards downtown. They entered the main street downtown, hoping to visit the guns and ammo store, when they were caught in the search lights of a Martian patrol. They scrambled, running east into the residential area.

Professor Putnam told the others, "Quickly! Into my house - its that one right over there!"

They entered into the modest two-story bungalow. The interior was filled with books and trophies of an academic life spent studying anthropology - tribal masks adorned the walls, ritual weapons, and photographs of the younger professor with tribes from around the world. Everyone immediately started going through the house searching for useful tools and weapons and trade items. Professor Putnam quipped sarcastically, "No, Please. Just help yourself to whatever you need."

15-year-old Felix went downstairs into the basement. Rex and Officer Tucker looked through the kitchen on the main floor. 16-year-old Scout went upstairs to look for towels. 

Scout entered a small bedroom when he was struck from behind by a heavy object - a bust of Richard Leakey. He stumbled and shouted.

DM- he had 1 hit point left!

Officer Tucker heard the commotion and ran upstairs, gun drawn and flashlight in hand. Rex and Professor Putnam were right behind him. Officer Tucker stopped at the top of the stairs and pointed his handgun at an elderly woman holding the bust. He shouted at her to drop the weapon and back away from Scout.

The woman, frightened, retreated to the end of the hall. 

Professor Putnam exclaimed, "Mabel? Mabel what happened here?"

The woman let out a massive sigh of relief, "OH! Professor Putnam! Who are these people? I thought they were looters!"

Scout rubbed the back of his head as he looked out of the room into the hall, "Geez, lady! We're with him!"

Introductions were exchanged and everyone was brought up to speed on the situation. Mabel was Professor Putnam's elderly housekeeper. Mabel was surprised and incredulous a the thought of being thrown into another universe. Professor Putnam told Mabel that the town wasn't safe and asked if she wished to join them. She reluctantly agreed. 

The team loaded up with some bottles of fine alcohol, an antique revolver, and towels. Felix, who never left the basement throughout the excitement upstairs, took a folk mask from Guatamala as a souvenir.

Professor scoffed, offering Felix a lesson on its origin, "Son! That is an antique Patron mask used in the Patzcar dance of Guatemala! The Baile del Patzcar, or Plantation Boss’s Dance, is the oldest Guatemalan dance still practiced today and evolved from a Mayan purification ritual.  In it, a dancer representing a female known as Lola performs a Mayan ritual using a white handkerchief to heal other masqueraders wearing rags and disease masks with gigantic thyroid goiters. Then gracejos representing ranch hands and carrying whips dance, comically whipping each other in mock fight over the love of the boss’s wife, Patzcarina. This mask represents the Patzcar, also called the Patrón."

Felix, wearing the mask, yawned, "Blah blah blah! Don't care."

They left the house and returned downtown, hoping to try the gun store again. Unfortunately, they were once again spotted. This time they fled northwest, back towards the sawmill. Scout was forced to abandon the wagon-load of food he had acquired while Rex had to ditch his armfuls of alcohol.

DM - I had to implement a rule that you couldn't run away if you were encumbered - you had to ditch all the heavy things to get away. The players thought it was a good rule and used pretty good judgement to lighten their load. I also had to update the rules in the book to reflect this. I also had to add new rules for minimum distance for running away - two hexes - and increased the odds of getting spotted if you go back to a hex you just ran away from.

Despite abandoning a lot of loot, they still managed to get back to the trucks with a few bags full of food and alcohol for trade. It was around midnight so they decided to drive back to the trading post - hoping to be there by dawn.

The Wandering Captain Zarridin

Both trucks retraced their journey north around the western edge of the transported zone before heading north across the barren wasteland towards the trading post. The journey was grueling and officer Tucker's truck was damaged at about 2am. Both trucks stopped as Rex got out and worked on repairs. The repairs took several hours to complete but both trucks were once again underway before dawn.

Rex suffered his own mishap at around 6am and was forced to get out and effect repairs on his own truck. 

Felix was playing with his Professor Putnam's antique revolver when he saw a lone figure crossing the wasteland towards the east. The figure changed its path and approached the trucks out of the sun. 

He wore old clothing worn ragged by the wasteland. On his head was a distinctive helmet with a crest and he carried a strange technologically advanced conical weapon on the end of a long pole which he used as a walking stick.

Felix told the others and weapons were drawn as the man approached. The man held up his hands to show he meant to threat. He asked if they needed help. They allowed him to approach.

The man introduced himself as Captain Nabu Zariddin, a Terran who once served in the ARES Consortium military. He was an elite guard assigned to protect visiting Martian dignitaries while on Terra. He was a loyal soldier who once believed in the history taught by Consortium propaganda. He once believed that the bombardment of Terra by the Consortium was a right and justifiable act of revolution against the ancient and oppressive Terran Empire and that the Consortium had nothing but the best intentions for the planet Terra and its people. 

Captain Zariddin served twenty years and protected the lives of countless Martian nobles. He was often assigned to perform unspeakable acts of cruelty against his fellow Terrans, including the procurement of Terrans to serve in Martian harems or to “dispose” of Terran servants who displeased his Martian overlords.  

Two years ago, Captain Zariddin reached his breaking point. He was ordered to procure Terran infants for use in the cruel experiments of the Martian Doctor Jondo. He refused. Captain Zariddin was arrested and sentenced to execution for his insubordination. Only the loyalty of his fellow guards saved him when they secretly orchestrated his escape. 

Captain Zariddin had spent the last two years wandering the Central-East Sector. He sought to redeem the crimes he has committed against his own people by helping those in need, righting wrongs, defending the innocent, and freeing the oppressed. 

The team told Captain Zariddin their story - having been transported to this world from a parallel dimension and the subsequent attack by the Martians. The man showed genuine sympathy and concern, “I’m sorry that happened to you. If it’s any consolation, it sounds like your friends and loved ones were captured alive and taken to the Manhattan Island Complex. I’m very familiar with that place. It’s where I used to be from. Today its run by General Clopis who oversees the Consortium Security Forces. Your people are likely being studied by Doctor Jondo. He’s a scientist in charge of the Martian effort to re-open the hypergate network.”

Felix asked, "What's a hypergate network?"

“The hypergate network? They were created by the Terran Empire a long time ago. At one time they linked all the worlds of the Solar System together. Then, about five hundred years ago, during the Martian War of Independence, the Terran Empire deactivated the hypergate network completely as an act of sabotage. No one’s been able to use the network since then. Whoever is able to restart the network would have an amazing logistical advantage. I wonder if Doctor Jondo might think your people might be the key somehow in reopening the network? I mean, it sounds like you teleported here. Maybe they’re connected?”

“Whatever you do, don’t surrender willingly to the Consortium. Doctor Jondo has no interest in sending you home to your Earth and his methods are - questionable. If you want to return home, your best bet will probably be the United Earth Administration. They have scientists that will help you. The UEA is the government of Earth, set up by the Martians but technically independent. The UEA domes are technologically advanced city-states - constructed generations ago by the ARES Consortium as part of their reconstruction effort after the war. Each dome provides food, water, shelter, and security to the remaining population of Earth. They have scientists who may be able to help you. There’s a dome west of here called Cuyahoga Dome. I know a woman there. Her name is Captain Narayanan Sitharaman. Tell her I sent you. She’ll be able to grant you asylum. At the very least, you’ll be given food, water, and shelter. If you need anything else, go to the ruins of Old Cuyahoga and find Eris Birdsong. She can get you anything you need.”

Officer Tucker asked if the domes accepted newcomers. Captain Zarridin said that they normally did not but Eris Birdsong could probably find a way.

“I regret that my insubordination and subsequent exile, though justified, prevent me from retiring to one of the domes.”

Felix then asked, "What about the Resistance?"

“The Earth Resistance? Don’t worry about them. They’re a bunch of misguided amateurs and terrorists. I’ve heard rumors that they have some kind of secret headquarters near the ruins of Buffalo and have somehow managed to keep its exact location a secret from the Consortium. “

After some more friendly small talk the team bade farewell to Captain Zariddin, who said he was headed northwest to seek out a tribe of anarcho-primitivists. 

"That's definitely a thing you said!" scoffed Rex from under the truck.

"How can we reach you?" asked officer Tucker.

"I carry no radio. I wander the wasteland. I go where the winds take me. If you leave word with Eris Birdsong in the ruins of Old Cuyahoga or with Frank Knowles at the Wasteland Trading Post, word will eventually get to me, and I will seek you out. Fare well, my friends, and good luck." 

Shopping Spree

They arrived back at the Wasteland Trading Post around 10am with several pounds of coffee and several bottles of alcohol with which they were able to trade for five suits of light body armor and some other equipment. 

Felix saw a massive weapon that caught his eye - a plasma thrower - but it was too expensive. He then spied a strange backpack with multiple straps. He was told it was a "jump harness" - a device that used repulsotron technology to defy Earth's gravity - allowing him to make prodigious leaps and fall from great heights as if he were a feather.

Felix eyes grew wide, "That is SO POG! Officer Tucker, can I get one of those?"

"Do you have enough trade credit? I'm not your mother!"

He did not. "Some day," he said. "Some day.' 

To Be Continued...

Head for the Hills - the City at the Edge of the Universe, Chapter 2

 The unlikely group of survivors - a small town police officer, a cynical construction worker, a retired anthropology professor, and a fifteen year-old delinquent - cautiously approached the abandoned house that served as the home base for the delinquent and his friends. It was dark. The abandoned house was dilapidated and overgrown with trees and overgrowth, consumed by the forest at the edge of the town of Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. 

They saw flashlights and movement within and overheard adults saying "I can't find it anywhere! Where'd you put it?", "It's here somewhere, keep looking!", "Shh! I think I heard something outside!", "Then take care of them!"

An overweight woman wearing a dirty tank-top stepped into the doorway holding a sawed-off shotgun. She took one look at police officer Bocephus Tucker and shouted, "Shit! It's the fucking cops!" She opened fire!

Chapter 2 - Head for the Hills

What follows is a play-through of an adventure scenario I'm writing for Overlords of Dimension-25. The scenario is a survival hex-crawl where the player characters and their entire town are transported to a strange new dimension, only to be attacked by armored invaders intent on rounding up the townsfolk for a mysterious and nefarious purpose. 

This week we encounter some meth-dealers, gain another player character, find out how tough the armored security forces really are, and finally get a chance to rest and head out of town.

Dramatis Personae

• Officer Bocephus "J.T." Tucker - Williamsburg police department - Level 1 Warrior
• Rex Werthy - construction worker - Level 1 Engineer
• Professor Thadeus Putnam - retired professor of anthropology - Level 1 Expert
• Felix Silla-Rossi - 15 year-old juvenile delinquent - Level 1 Rogue
• Vera - elderly lady with a broken leg - NPC

Introducing

• Scout Thomas - 16 year-old outdoorsman and YouTube personality - Level 1 Scout

Battle at the Abandoned House

Professor Putnam said, "Oh! Oh dear!" He drew his bow and loosed an arrow at the woman with the shotgun. It struck her in the chest and she fell to the floor. 

Officer Tucker touched his head. He was grazed and blood poured from the wound. He grit his teeth and shouted, "Violence of Action! Violence of Action!" and ran into the house. He immediately went to a room on the right and began punching the overweight redneck brandishing a baseball bat. 

Rex, who had been carrying Vera around on his back, gently set her down on the ground. He picked up her shovel and followed Officer Tucker into the dark house. Rex stood over the lady on the floor of the foyer with an arrow sticking out of her chest. He looked around trying to decide which way to go - the rooms to the left were illuminated by moving flashlights and stomping feet could be heard coming this way. Officer Tucker had dashed around a corner into another room towards the right. He eventually joined Officer Tucker. He brought his shovel down onto the head of the bat-wielding redneck. Another redneck ran into the room from a doorway towards the back. The new redneck fired a pistol at Officer Tucker but missed.

Professor Putnam threw down his bow and arrow and ran to the woman on the floor of the foyer. He took a look at the arrow sticking out of her chest. His hands hovered over her with confusion and fear. The woman was still breathing but there was nothing he could do. He grabbed her hand and sat with her as she died.

Outside the house Felix took a hunting rifle and took aim down the hallway behind Professor Putnam, prepared to shoot anything that emerged from the back of the house. A redneck came into the hallway holding a pistol. Felix fired the rifle and the redneck fell to the floor. Felix shouted, "Shit!" and began to hyperventilate. 

Felix ran into the house and looked at the dead body of the man he had just shot. He dropped the rifle and backed against the wall. He slipped down onto the floor in shock. He began quietly repeating, "I just killed a guy. I just killed a guy."

Rex hit the guy with the pistol with his shovel and the man went down. The overweight man with the bat dropped his weapon and surrendered. Officer Tucker bound the man's hands with a zip tie.

A quick interrogation revealed that they had stashed a supply of methamphetamines in the house and were now looking to retrieve it. However, the drugs were nowhere to be found. 

Rex and Bocephus confiscated all the weapons and cut the redneck loose, warning him to get out of town before he got caught by the Martians. They returned to the entrance where they saw Professor Putnam on the floor with the dead woman and Felix rocking back and forth in the corner. 

Officer Tucker said, "Its your first kill. I get it. But if you hadn't killed them they would have killed you. Get over it. Lets get going. That gunfire and that barking dog outside are going to draw attention so we have to get out of here. What did you want from here anyway?"

The question shook Felix back into focus, "Right! There's some blankets and sleeping bags in the back room."

"Felix, those rednecks were looking for some drugs. Do you know anything about that?"

Felix looked ashamed, "My buddy, Skeezer, he found them. He sold them in Pittsburgh. We already spent all the money on pizzas and stuff."

Officer Tucker sighed, "Okay, go get the blankets and stuff. But we got to go!"

The Sawmill

The motley group continued through the wooded area and into the large gravel lot that contained the sawmill. There were huge stacks of cut trees that provided good cover for movement. The group entered the sawmill and scavenged what they could from the machine shop and garage. They broke open the lock box containing the vehicle keys and returned to the gravel lot. They picked out two trucks and loaded all the gear they had accumulated into the back. 

Officer Tucker found someone sleeping in the cab of one of the trucks. It was another high school kid - his name was Scout Thomas. 

"Hey Scout! Wake up, we're taking this truck!"

Scout rubbed his eyes, "You can't. It's got no keys."

Bocephus jingled the keys in front of him, "They were in a lock box in the office."

Scout got up and moved aside, "Oh."

"Kid, where's your mom?"

"I don't know. We got separated during the attack. I've been hiding in here. What are those things?"

"Commies!" blurted Rex.

"No, they're Martians!" said Felix.

"Whatever, we're getting out of here." said Bocephus, "Scout, I have to tell you this - those guys probably captured your mom. They've got pretty much the whole town back at the high school. I don't know why. Want to come with us?"

Scout looked around, "Sure. Can we stop by my house first? It's three miles west. I have a bunch of supplies."

"Sure, but first I have to go check on that dog."

Back to Get the Dog

Scout stayed behind with Vera in the truck while Officer Tucker, Rex, Professor Putnam, and Felix went back towards the house to try to rescue the stray dog. As they neared the house they saw a person coming towards them from the direction of the Martian roadblock. It was an armored Martian trooper, its helmet showing a bright light in the forest. 

They were spotted!

DM - At the beginning of every round I roll a percentile dice to see if they were spotted based on their actions from the previous round. The chance of encountering a Martian patrol is actually very low, especially at night and in the forest. However, I rolled a 02. 

Once they're spotted, players can choose what their characters do:

• I Run Away! 
• I Move Quickly, Trying to Avoid Detection 
• I Step on the Gas! 
• I Try to Talk to Them
• I Find a Place to Hide
• I Attack!

This time the players chose "I Attack!"

They split up. Rex and Officer Tucker charged from the left and right, hoping to catch the armored trooper in a pincer maneuver. 

The trooper lifted his hand weapon towards Officer Tucker. A strange blue light flashed. Officer Tucker convulsed and fell to the ground unconscious. 

Professor Putnam loosed an arrow. The arrow struck the armored trooper but bounced harmlessly off its armor. Rex brought his shovel down upon the armored foe. The shovel connected, knocking the trooper back a bit. The trooper's hand weapon emitted another bright blue flash towards Rex - but it missed! Rex was feeling confident.

Felix, hiding in the bushes towards the back with a deer rifle, had a flashback to the person he shot dead about an hour earlier. He froze, unable to pull the trigger.

DM - Felix's player had to leave the game right at that moment.

It was Rex's player's turn. 

Officer Tucker's player heard me mention that the armored soldier had an Armor Class of 18. He spouted his incredulity! "18!! We'll never beat him!" 

Rex's player said, "But I hit him!"

Officer Tucker's player replied, "Yeah, no. You have to roll a 16 or better multiple times to hit him, and  (Professor Putnam) is never going to hit with a ranged attack - too many modifiers."

I chimed in, "Okay, meta-game moment. (Felix) might take him out in one hit if he can hit, but (Felix) is not in this fight. Might I suggest running away at this point? These guys are meant to be scary tough. They're the Terminator - armored, slow, overconfident, and relentless. Its baked into the module that they won't chase you if you run away and you can run away at any time. I suggest Rex pick up Officer Tucker and Professor Putnam pick up Felix and run back to the truck. Your chances of winning this fight are not good. I do have a storyline where you are captured, so being captured is not the end. But I'll leave that decision up to you.

Rex grabbed the limp body of Officer Tucker, threw him over his shoulder, and ran back to the sawmill. So too Professor Putnam picked up Felix and followed suit. 

They heard an electronic zorch sound in the forest behind them. The dog's barking was silenced.

Rex threw Bocephus into the truck, started it, and drove off onto the highway. Professor Putnam, Felix, Scout, and Vera followed.

DM- I called a 20 minute break.

Pit Stop

The two trucks sped down the highway at regular highway speeds, slowing down around bends to avoid dangerous maneuvers. They were not chased. 

The trucks drove three miles and pulled into the rural home of Scout Thomas' parents. As they slowed down, their trucks were illuminated by a spotlight from high overhead. They were spotted by one of the Martian aerial vehicles. They ran out of the trucks and into the house, illuminated by the aerial pursuer. Scout was a young outdoorsman and survivalist. He even produced his own internet video series on the subject. His garage was filled with large tents, sleeping bags, boxes of dried food, gallons of water, and other useful items. He and the others rushed, throwing everything into the back of the trucks. They connected the tow trailer and ATV to the back of one of the trucks and sped out as quickly as they could. They took a big risk spending the time getting this stuff after they had been spotted. The Martians would arrive any minute now.

DM- indeed, when spotted by the aerial vehicle, I secretly rolled 3d6 to determine how many minutes it would take for a patrol vehicle with 4 armored troopers to arrive. It would take them ten minutes to load the trucks and go. I rolled 14, so the patrol arrived 4 minutes after they left. 

They went west down the highway, eventually losing their aerial pursuit. 

Ten miles west of Williamsburg, PA, the highway abruptly ended.

Before them was a barren treeless moonscape of hills, valleys, ravines, and boulders. The road, the forest, everything just stopped. The sky had an eerie glow casting the world in a strange dim yellow light.

Scout whispered, "What happened? Where's the world?"

Rex said, "I don't think we're in our world anymore."

The two trucks advanced slowly off the road and onto the bare earth that lay beyond. They turned right and followed the perimeter of the trees as best they could. They drove about a mile before turning back into the woods. They took the trucks into the woods for about half a mile and stopped to pitch tents and set camp for the night. It was just about midnight. They ate field rations before going to bed. 

Felix took first watch. It passed uneventfully. Rex took the second watch. Felix, who was still awake, stayed up with Rex and the two debated the events of the day. Professor Putnam took the last watch. 

Just as the sun rose in the hazy yellow sky to the east, Professor Putnam was taken by surprise as two hunters emerged from the trees. They raised their hands in greeting. Professor Putnam, taking no chances, called out to wake the others.

The hunters said they had been in the bush all weekend. The group welcomed the hunters and offered them water and food and camp coffee. The hunters asked if anyone else saw the windstorm and lightshow that happened two days ago.  Professor Putnam told them that the entire area had experienced some strange event and that they may not even be on Earth anymore. 

The hunters were startled by the news - not that they believed it, they were worried about the old man spouting nonsense. They looked to Officer Tucker for reassurance. The police officer told them it was true then warned them against returning to town. 

Rex blurted, "That's because the commies invaded! It's Red Dawn!"

Felix argued, "It's not commies! It's Martians! Martians landed in their rocketships!"

The two hunters exchanged a worried glance. They politely but nervously said, "Okaaaay. Well, we're going to be going now. We'll just head back to town."

Officer Tucker reiterated, "DON'T- head back to town. If they catch you they'll stun you and take you back to the school."

The hunters saw Vera with a broken leg just outside one of the tents, "Ma'am? Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

Vera said, "They didn't break my leg! I broke it running away form Martians! Everything they said is true!"

The two hunters turned and fled into the forest. 

DM - Everyone got to make Persuasion/Fast Talk skill tests. Had they succeeded, they'd have earned some XP. Unfortunately, nobody got a success.

Felix went back to sleep in his tent. Rex asked Officer Tucker, "Shouldn't we get going?"

Bocephus replied, "He had a rough night. Let him sleep some more."

Two hours later, they group was breaking camp and dousing their campfire. Suddenly two Martian troopers were seen approaching from the east through the forest. 

Officer Tucker said, "Shit! Throw everything in the truck. Go! Go!"

No attempt was made to pack things up. Everything was thrown haphazardly into the back of the truck. They sped off to the west and the edge of the tree-line. 

Once they were safely away, they turned right and went north. Their destination was someplace called the Wasteland Trading Post about forty miles in that direction.

The Wasteland Trading Post

They drove the trucks, carrying the ATV on a trailer, slowly over the rocky hilly terrain. Despite their efforts to drive safely, Officer Tucker had difficulty traversing a gulley and caused some damage to the truck's heater. It became bitterly cold in the cab. They stopped for two hours while Rex used the spare parts he had taken from the garage at the auto dealership to make repairs. 

After creeping along slowly across the countryside for about eight hours, the trucks crested a hill and looked down onto a flat plain covered in massive impact craters. An artificial tower rose 60 feet out of the center of one of the craters. The tower was roughly conical and narrow. It was covered in external scaffolding and makeshift stairs and ladders. Guy wires kept it upright. The entire structure, along with the guy wires and scaffolding, were decorated with long streamers, flags, and banners. People were moving about on the scaffolding, entering and exiting the structure. 

As they got nearer the true nature of the structure became more clear - it was an old rocket-ship, like out of the fifties, standing straight up. The outer hull of the rocketship had been removed and the interior decks were exposed. The exposed interior decks were covered in junk, cooking food, bottles, etc. It was a market! A market built into the rusting hulk of an old immobile rocketship!

The outer lip of the crater formed a natural wall. A gate house had been dug into a section of the lip to allow entry. Small defensive guard posts were stationed around the crater.

They approached the gate house. It was manned by green-furred gorilla-men wearing worn and tattered coveralls and piecemeal armor. 

Felix said, "Whaaaaaa?"

One of the gorilla-men called out to them, "Welcome to the Wasteland Trading Post. What do you have for trade?"

Officer Tucker replied, "We're not sure. We were told to come here and find someone named-" he quickly turned to Rex, "Who were we sent to find?" 

Felix called out, "Mister Gibbons! We're here to see Mister Gibbons!"

The ape-man said, "Who may I say is calling?"

Officer Tucker introduced themselves.

They were allowed past the gates. Inside they saw a large weather-beaten tracked vehicle and  a motorcycle with one large tread instead of wheels. They also saw a large long-legged flightless eagle with a saddle and bridle.  

They could smell cooking meat and hear dozens of people trading and talking. It was about two in the afternoon.

A few minutes later a small creature that resembled a gibbon with purple fur and pointed ears bounded up onto the roof of a nearby vehicle. The creature wore a vest and pants. Its face was covered in smeared grease and it wiped the grease off its hands onto a dirty towel hanging from its belt.

"Hiya! I'm Mister Gibbons. Were you looking for me?"

Felix's jaw hung open.

Officer Tucker told Mister Gibbons about the recent events in Williamsburg. Mister Gibbons rubbed his chin and said that must have been the light show they saw on the southern horizon. He had no idea what had happened. 

When told that a Martian armored trooper had told them to go north and seek him out, Mister Gibbons was surprised. He didn't know any ARES Consortium shock troopers, at least that he knew of. But the reason they were sent here was probably because it was the closest place and because he could point them in the direction where they wanted to go. 

Felix asked, "What planet are we on?"

Mister Gibbons looked around, confused, "Whaddya talkin about? This is Earth!"

Rex asked, "Earth? What year is this?"

Mister Gibbons laughed, "Well, I think this is the year 2029 since the founding of the Terran Empire."

Felix said, "It's the same year as us!"

Officer Tucker pointed out, "That just might be a coincidence. It could be our year 5000 for all we know. Mister Gibbons, the armored soldier said he was a double agent working for the Earth Resistance. Are you with the Earth Resistance?"

Mister Gibbons shushed him, "Keep your voice down. No. I'm not. The Wasteland Trading Post is a neutral location and we don't take sides. But if you're looking for the Resistance, I might know somebody who can help you out. Her name is Eris Birdsong. She's a broker working out of the Old City outside of Cuyahoga dome, about 180 miles west of here. She can hook you up."

"So what do you do here?"

Mister Gibbons stood proudly, "What, here? We're a trading post! You got something you need? Bring something useful you don't need and trade for it! What have you got?"

Rex offered their work trucks from the sawmilll.

"Those things? What are those - internal combustion? What's their fuel? Maybe. We tend to use rechargeable power cells around here, no petroleum. Hasn't been any petroleum in the Earth for thousands of years. I have heard of some tinkers brewing their own distillate fuel from animal fats in a still. What else you got?"

Rex looked around, "We have some coffee."

"Coffee? Whazzat?"

"I'll make you some. You'll love it."

A loud gruff voice called from across the yard, "Mister Gibbons! Get back to work!" It was an elderly man with a white beard with the authoritative look of someone in command.

Mister Gibbons smiled, "That would be Frank. He's the boss-man. A gremlin's job is never done! Off I go!"

To Be Continued...