You wake with a sudden start, instinctively grabbing you’re sidearm and scanning the darkness for threats. It is never good to be caught off guard, especially in the unknown areas of the hive. You’re not sure what woke you, possibly one of the various knocks and bangs the trawler made as it navigated the water way, or one of the sudden calls of the local mega fauna ringing out across the bay.
Whatever the reason your awake now and feeling the familiar buzz of a body primed for action.
As you scan your surroundings you observe the ragtag group that for the last few days have been your “shipmates”. Eschers glare at Goliaths, Delaques whisper in the shadows observing an Orlock card game, a hooded group kneel in a circle clasping trinkets that make your eyes sting to look at, and the ever vigilant enforcers patrol the corridors looking for the slightest provocation to allow them to dish out a beating.
The fact this boat hasn’t turned into a bloodbath is a small miracle. Helped along no doubt by the promise of riches beyond imagination.
Suddenly a door slams open and a figure enters, briefly silhouetted by the brightness of the corridor, before the main lights of the room flash on causing the occupants to wince…
“Evening Scummers. For those who don’t already know me, my name is Captain van Kurg and I was hired by your employers the Commercial Committee of Cog-Port to see you all transported to The Slump. Now I know as much about all of this as you do. The CCCP seem to be playing the whole thing close to their chest. But needless to say there’s a hell of a lot of creds in it for us all, should it all work out.
Bring in the Ratskin.”
A large man enters the room with the body of a Ratskin slung over his shoulder, he then unceremoniously drops the corpse at the captains feet.
“This little fella.” says Captain van Kurg, punctuating his words with a kick to the Ratskins flank. “Crawled out of The Slump a week or so ago and got himself shot while stealing in Cog Port. He’s been in and out of consciousness since then, unable or unwilling to say much more than his name ‘Hlala Kude’ and ‘The Slump’. But he did have this on him.”
Taking his hand out of his jacket pocket, Captain van Kurg holds up a small crystal.
“This! This is why we came here. We’ve been interrogating him, trying to learn about it, but he expired yesterday and we got nothing more out of him. Whatever this is the CCCP want more, and they are willing to pay handsomely for it. We think that our Ratskin friend might have picked it up in The Slump, so your job is to drop in, see if you can find where it came from and report back. Simple.
The main access to The Slump has been collapsed for decades, so in order to get you in, we have had to sail up an old shipping canal that runs along a hive layer directly above the main dome. There is a ventilation access point on an island ahead that should allow you to drop down into a cavern which should then allow access to The Slump.
I know not all of you have drop rigs and hover packs, so there is a complement of them provided. Although they are somewhat… seasoned. So say a prayer to the God Emperor before you jump if your using them.
You may also wonder why we are dropping you in here, ahead of the survey team. Well that’s quite simple, survey and mining equipment is expensive, your lives are not.
Now get your gear together, we’ll be arriving shortly.”
You have been tasked by the CCCP with dropping into an area of The Slump and securing a rare crystal resource. While the journey to The Slump has been relatively ‘peaceful’ you doubt that will last once you exit the ship.
Grab as many crystals as you can find while denying the other gangs.