After rescuing Roarona the lioness from the rock-men, Zina and Zach lead her back to the rocket ship, pursued by more rock-men. As they approach the ship, Zach begins yelling "We need to lift off!"
The chief engineer called back "I'm not sure if she can handle it yet."
Just then, one the rock-men chucked a boulder that landed a few meters from the engineer. He shuddered and said "I guess we'll find out."
The crew and passengers clamber aboard, just as a boulder strikes the hull. Zach jumps into the pilot seat, opens the throttles, and blasts off!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later Zina and Zach find themselves on the planetoid Simba, home of the Lion Men, They are guests of honor of King Raorr, who fetes them for saving his daughter Roarona. Yes, Roarona is a princess! On this particularly fine day, the king is hosting an outdoor banquet a short ways from his castle.
Suddenly, there is a roar of engines as a horde of shuttles set down. Out leap squads of Primals (red markers), minions of the evil Queen Anathraxa. With shouts of "Kill them all!" the Primals advance of the banquet-goers.
As the guests (plain circles) flee to the castle, the Lion-Men warriors try to stem the invasion. King Raorr personally leads one warband (second from the right) while he calls Zach (circle) to lead another.
Raorr's wild charge routs a band of Primals while Zina and Zach find themselves in a brutal melee.
Meanwhile, a band of Primals tries to cut off the fleeing civilians.
One group of guests makes it to the castle.
"Zach!" calls Zina as she points to the straggling civilians. "They're unprotected!" Zach looks back and sees the vulnerable civilians. He leads the warband back to cover the retreat.
And another routs, but reinforcements arrive!
Then the unthinkable happens. As Raorr's warband holds off the Primals, a blast echoes across the valley. A ray strikes Raorr in the chest. He collapses! (His band, on the right, routs). His men drag his mangled body back to the castle.
The remaining civilians make it to safety.
Zach leads the rear-guard.
Until his troops can make their escape.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After their harrowing escape, one of the Queen's rocket ships hovers over the castle.
"Fools! There is no escape for you. You have been sentenced to death by the order of Queen Anathraxa for treason against her most gracious rule, and you shall die on this planetoid!"
Suddenly, a flight of rockets passes overhead, spraying out a fine purple dust.
"Death Dust!" exclaims one of the guests. He explains that the Death Dust will slowly kill all living things on a planetoid. Within months, every plant, animal, and humanoid will perish. Simba will become a desolate wasteland.
A few minutes later, Zina and Zach are called before Raorr, as he lies in bed, struggling for life. They approach and he addresses them.
"Hunter and Marks," he begins (addressing them by their last names) in a labored breath "once again, you have done my people a great service. I cannot thank you enough." He stops for a moment to cough and shudder in pain. "Yet I must ask, for the sake of my people, for an even greater service. It is said that the planetoid Sandpit has discovered an antidote to the Death Dust. I know it is much to ask, but please go to Sandpit and bring back the antidote!"
Raorr collapses back onto his bed.
Zina steps up and says "We will, and it will be our honor to do so."
Raorr smiles, nods his head, and says "Save my people." With that, he passes away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later, Zina and Zach are strapped into their new rocket, one of the shuttles abandoned by the Primals. They are checking the controls in preparation for blast off. They get a prompt on their telereceiver. Princess Roarona appears on the screen.
"Our sensors tell us that the Queen's forces have set up a blockade around Simba. Be careful."
"Always." smirks Zach. Zina scowls.
"And remember" Roarona continues "the Lion Men are eternally grateful for your aid."
With that, Roarona signs off, and our heroes' ship blasts off into the teeth of Anathraxa's rocket forces.
Will Zina and Zach get through? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!
Game Notes
- This scene of the Plot Point campaign is another straight up fight. I turned it into a miniatures wargame (with markers instead of minis).
- The rules were an adaptation of FU, as per my other scenarios in this campaign. As I have mentioned before, FU doesn't really work for me for solo play - it's too free-form. For future scenarios I will be looking toward other rules.
