Outline

The characters find James and his men. And a whole lot more.

Game Notes

The characters hear sounds of battle a few hundred meters ahead. When they investigate, they see Northern Gears engaged with a smaller group of raiders, apparently Desert Wolves by their markings. Behind the battle, near a cave entrance, the characters can see James climbing into a Black Cat and moving in to aid the Northern Gears. Behind him, they can see a large stash of military equipment.

Off to the other side, the group of Gears previously encountered watches the battle from hiding. As the battle intensifies, the worker Gears slip into the cave and begin raiding James' supplies, loading the Camel up with various military crates.

The Desert Wolves had discovered James' stash of equipment and decided to "salvage" it, but were surprised by his sudden appearance. They are fighting a diversionary battle, drawing as much attention away from the worker Gears as possible. The Dartjagers will use their high speed and excellent off-road maneuverability to race around, blasting away with their LRPs, creating as large a diversion as possible. The Warrior will deal with anyone who notices the raiding Gears and attempts to intervene. The Long Fang will concentrate on taking James' team out. The rest of the raiders will concentrate on getting as much equipment in as little time as possible.

If attacked, the raiders will take what they have and run. They know that whoever chases them will likely return to the fight and when they do, the raiders will turn back as well and grab some more. They are not in this fight to end lives, they are here to appropriate some stolen military equipment. Once they feel they have grabbed enough, they will leave as fast as possible.

James and his men are furious. They intend to destroy their attackers and get away to safety. James' men will do everything they can to end this fight as fast as possible. They have no intention of taking prisoners.

The characters must decide what to do. Do they go after James and arrest him for his crimes? Do they stop the Desert Wolves from stealing military equipment (and evidence)? The situation is a mess.

Once James realizes he is going to be captured or killed, he will turn into the cave. If the characters follow, they will find the hatch of his Gear open and see James turn a corner, running deeper into the cave system. The characters must leave their Gears behind if they intend to follow him.

As the characters move deeper, the humidity will rise rapidly and they will hear sounds of rushing water. James is near the breaking point. He will start to ramble as he runs forward, stopping to periodically take a shot at the characters.

If the GM wants him to become a recurring villain, he should not have James tell the characters everything. He is a bright man and still in control. He will tell the characters that they have not seen the last of him and will leap into an underground waterfall, a part of the MacAllen cave system. Somehow, he will survive the fall to surface again.

If the Gamemaster would prefer not going to use him as a recurring villain, he has reached his breaking point. Suddenly, everything has fallen apart and he has nowhere to turn. He will fight to the death or until captured. If he is made prisoner and if the characters press him for information, he will reluctantly tell them about his life, his plans and how they spoiled everything. It's over.

Equipment

Characters

1 Long Fang Black Mamba Pilot +2

1 Long Fang Black Mamba Pilot +2 AGI/PER, all combat skill 3

2 Dartjager pilots +2 AGI/+1 PER, all combat skills 2

1 Warrior pilot +1 AGI/PER, all combat skills 2

Any of the characters that survived the previous encounter

1Cheetah pilot +2 AGI/PER, all combat skills 2

1 Den Mother pilot +I PER, all combat skills 2

2 Jaguar pilots +1 AGI/PER, all combat skills 2

Colonel Mikhail James +1 AGI/+3 PER, all combat skills 3

Colonel Mikhail James

Mikhail James was born in Canterbury, NLC, to Natalie and Donovan James, a tabloid journalist for the Northern Inquirer. While the Inquirer concentrates on the lives of trideo stars, Donovan made his living writing conspiracy theories. He often wrote about someone's death being a major military cover-up. The problem was that Donovan was not making these,theories up, at least in his mind. Donovan saw a~conspiracy in every event and Mikhail grew up in this paranoid, conspiracyriddled environment.

As Mikhail entered his late teens (in cycles), he began to resent his father seeing a shadowy cabal behind everything and everyone, even his friends. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the army to get away from him. His father was beside himself when he found out, but his pleas fell on deaf ears and Mikhail entered basic training.

Once in the military, Mikhail demonstrated an extreme aptitude for- leadership and was quickly transferred to the Officer's Training Program. It was here that Mikhail met Natasha Fedotov, a beautiful, sharp, woman who immediately captured Mikhail's heart. They married a year after they graduated from the OTF.

Later, during the height of the Judas Syndrome (TN 1904), Mikhail, now a Captain in the Northern. Guard, learned he was to become a father. Mikhail began to worry. The North and South were in an escalating Cold War that was leading to open conflict and he was going to bring a child into that. He feared for the safety of his unborn child. Soon thereafter, Mikhail was approached by Southern agents who offered him a very large sum of money for some military secrets. Mikhail refused, but he soon had reason to reconsider his decision.

One season after Mikhail was approached by the South, Natasha was honorably discharged from duty, for reasons still unknown to him. Suddenly, the income of his family was cut in half with a child on the way. The South's offer suddenly became very appealing. He arranged a meeting and the trade was made. A cycle later, the South fielded a test-bed prototype of an Ultra Heavy Rail Gun, very similar to a design that the North had been working on. Also, a discreet account in a Westphalian bank appeared under the name Donovan Fedorov.

As TN 1905 approached, he looked forward to the birth of his daughter. He did not have to wait long; on I Winter, Natasha went into labor. Mikhail rushed his wife to the hospital and waited patiently for his daughter to arrive. Two hours after Natasha was taken into the delivery room, a doctor, approached Mikhail. He was informed that his daughter was quite well, but his wife had died of complications during childbirth.

Mikhail was devastated by the loss and began to brood. Death in childbirth was so rare as to be almost impossible. Slowly, his mind formed a picture of what had really happened. The North had learned of Mikhail's betrayal and sent him a warning by killing his wife. It was obvious.

Over the next few cycles, Mikhail began to plot his revenge. In TN 1913, the tool of Mikhail's vengeance arrived. Earth invaded Terra Nova. Mikhail was only too eager to turn on his fellow Terra Novans, whom he saw as having turned on him already. He wanted a better life, away from all their conspiracies and treachery. Earth was the key.

On TN 1917, when Earth forces signed the Treaty of Westphalia and left the planet, Mikhail knew they would be back. He knew they were merely regrouping and would return with a larger force. He would be prepared when they did. He began to build a secret army, men and women who he knew were Earth sympathizers and loyal to him. Those who knew of his treason during the invasion either joined his private army, or were hunted down as "enemies of the state."

Mikhail, now a Colonel, has made use of his position, "losing" shipments in various locations throughout the Western and Great White Deserts, to be retrieved by his army, Gaia's Vengeance. Cynthia, his daughter, has been at his side the entire time, using her position as personal secretary to Brigadier Gibbons to further aid her father. Together, they lead Gaia's Vengeance, Mikhail with a cold, cunning tactical mind and Cynthia with her inspirational persona. That was, until recently.

Potential Conflict

Reinforcements arrive for the Desert Wolves or for Gaia's Vengeance.

Trust No One Heavy Gear RPG Adventure (Part 2)

Introduction
Sequence 1: The Quest
Sequence 2: It Hits the Fan
Debriefing

Gaia's Vengeance Heavy Gear RPG Adventure (Part 1)

Introduction
Sequence 1: Drop Zone
Sequence 2: Best Laid Plans
Sequence 3: Endgame
Debriefing