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From guest GM Chris comes our playthrough of the Alien RPG adventure, “Destroyer of Worlds.”

Starring:
Captain Silva
Lance Corporal Wright
Sergeant Iona
Private Zmijewski

Death Counter: 3

Facing down the threat of a gargantuan Alien Queen in her home territory forces the marines to pause and assess their dire situation. They need to reach the second level of the climber car, accessible only via a ladder and hatch near the back, on a catwalk. Most of the floor is covered in black resin, secreted by hideous, albino aliens, while several full-grown soldiers lurk on the periphery, ready to defend the Queen.

The marines want no part of this, but they need to press forward. They (quietly) discuss their options, and Silva, who always puts her marines safety first, surprisingly wants to throw Jaell and her charge to the wolves.

Silva blames the Major for infecting them with Draconis-26. The Major is resting comfortably inside a stasis cell carried by his loyal android, Jaell. But we technically don’t need her anymore.

The plan is to sneak through the area, reach the access ladder, then doom the Major (and distract Jaell) by opening the stasis pod, drawing the aliens to them and giving us time to escape.

The plan actually works, though half the marines need to push their Mobility rolls to successfully sneak through the area.

After several tense moments, Zmijewski reaches the hatch and starts to open it. The noise alerts the hive, and Sgt. Hammer, as instructed, shoves the stasis pod down the stairs, cracking it open.

A disoriented Major Hatfield emerges, and has only a few moments of clarity before the soldier behind him shoves its inner jaw through his head, murdering him instantly. Jaell’s screams are cut off when the soldier quickly advances and gives her the exact same treatment!

The marines were hoping to buy a little more time from their deaths!

The massive Queen detaches from her egg sac and advances, screaming and summoning her brood, and hatching her eggs. One soldier is close enough to attack Silva with its paralyzing tail, but she blocks both attacks.

The survivors waste no time scurrying up the ladder and slamming the hatch closed. 

The second and third levels are far quieter. No black resin, no aliens.

They hurry up to the Control Deck and activate the climber car, releasing the brakes. With a jolt, the car obeys, and the car begins its measured ascent into the sky, and out of the atmosphere.

The marines are afforded a brief chance to rest, though Iona is looking terrible. He’d been showing signs of Draconis-26 infection for some time, and could barely stand.

Silva orders Hammer to stay near him, and end him if necessary. Wright finds lockers with some space suits, and grapple guns. She dons a suit, just to be safe.

The readout of the monitors begins displaying error messages. The marines realize with growing dread that the alien hive may have expanded into the machinery behind the walls, blocking ducts and vents.

Silva orders everyone to stay on the third floor.

As they breach the atmosphere, they see the aftermath of a great space battle. The hulking ruins of spaceships hang in the area, including one that it’s in the direct path of the car, wrapping up in the tether.

With nowhere to go, the marines realize they must evacuate.

As Iona and Hammer return to the third deck, Iona suddenly screams and attacks Hammer with his fists. His eyes are fully black, and his body has succumbed to the infection.

As Hammer is punched to the ground, a xenomorph claw rips out of a nearby wall. Zmijewski screams and aims his trust Incinerator, lighting it on fire and forcing it back in the wall.

Silva yells for everyone to suit up and get out.

While the crazed Iona scurries away, Wright and Silva help Hammer suit up. 

Another alien bursts through a wall on the other side of the Control Deck and advances, ripping its body apart and showering Silva with acid. But the Captain is familiar with this maneuver, and nimbly dodges.

As Fei2 tries to help, Iona returns to knock her down as well.

Wright and Hammer leave via the airlock, while Zmijewski and Silva are practically back-to-back, facing off against the combined threat of an infected Iona, and emerging aliens.

Zmijewski normally wouldn’t carry about these marines, but he and Silva have grown bonded over their time together, and he’s loath to leave his Captain.

She orders him (literally uses Command) to grab the last suit and get the hell out of here. He grudgingly obliges.

Meanwhile, Wright and Hammer make it outside. They see a nearby space cruiser that looks operational, and push off, Wright ready to aim the grapple gun.

Below them, the airlock to the cargo bay hisses open, and the gigantic Alien Queen emerges! She claws along the car, desperate to escape like the marines.

As Wright fires the gun, the Queen grabs Hammer, killing him with a single headstrike!

(technically not counted on our Death Counter as he was an NPC controlled by the GM, but still, Hammer was a big part of the team since the beginning!)

Back inside, Zmijewski quickly heads into the cycled airlock. As the infected Iona stands menacingly over Fei2 and near Sliva, the burned soldier advances from the other side. 

Silva pulls out all her remaining grenades, and activates them all.

The explosion blows apart the Captain, the android, and the xenomorph, though Iona’s infected body absorbs the blow, and rises from the ruins, his black eyes now locked onto the airlock.

Death Counter 3 -> 4

Iona uses his mutated strength to force the doors open, violently decompressing the chamber, and sending Zmijewski hurtling out into space.

Into the waiting arms of the Queen.

The frantic marine follows Wright’s lead and fires his gun at the nearby derelict ship, miraculously hitting the mark.

But the Queen snatches defeat from the jaws of victory, using her jaws of death. As Zmijewski grins and relief washes over his face, his head explodes in a shower of viscera from the Queen’s mandibles.

Death Counter 4 -> 5

As Wright reaches the ship and jumps inside, she sees the car behind her collide with the shipwreck in a violent explosion, ending what was left of Iona, and the aliens.

Death Counter 5 -> 6

On the planet surface below, she sees a white light as the nukes explode, destroying the entire colony. Poor Zmijewski never got to see the nukes go off!

Wright records a simple three word sentence in her log for others to find: “I’m still here.”

Then she climbs into a stasis pod. The sole survivor of the Destroyer of Worlds.

Live post-session discussion:

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