Avast!

So now its been months since your first expedition into AP and you've either found nothing, or bandits. But over these few months you've been able to sell and fight your way to a small stash of bank notes you are reserving until you have enough to start an outpost, and a source of income like a mineral vein or industry niche to fill, like research. 

You've recruited a few more players, either new or disenfranchised from other companies, and now stand at about 15 members. Its a sizable expedition, with so many player characters marching through the heart of AP. You've stuck to one of the larger islands you think has the least amount of player characters on it. Its mostly mountainous and hilly towards the interior and proves slow to scout. But even if you don't find any ruins you are sure you'll find some mineral veins eventually.

Since player characters don't have any morale requirements, the group is fairly unhindered by supply needs, with the exception of MMT's and ammunition. It can be risky without a entourage of mercenaries to accompany you in the case you find other aggressive player company groups, or a massive bandit camp; but without the supplies or funding, traveling light is your only option. 

The rough terrain takes you months to traverse, but the use of horses helps. Now 8 months in since you started your company and you've chanced upon ruins! This story battle day will prove interesting. And its time for the Tinkerer in you to shine, since the mission type requires a modestly ranked Tinkerer to accomplish it.

The mission is to defeat any ancient defenses left in the ruins and activate the package, which will be a briefcase sized object with a dozen or so switches, valves, toggles, gauges, and other things in the box that will need to be switched from off to on (red to green) before the timer that starts when you open the box ends.  

You have seen a few of these missions before and have even played a part in the defenses. Usually it will be a combination of automated turrets, automatons, and other mechanizations designed by the OG's. They are harder the more advanced the technology to be discovered is. But even when you have the technology, you may not have enough of the lexicon to translate the blue prints given. You've purchased from the ETC, who purchased it from a player company, two parts of the lexicon. You're not sure how many parts there are to the lexicon, but you assume many. 

Luckily, the technology will never be one already discovered by other players; so you know when you find one, it will be valuable. However, just because you found a ruin, doesn't mean that the ruin hasn't yet already been looted. But the amount of exploitation into the ruins is dependent on the ability of the surveyor of the hex, and you have a decent mid-level agent with perks in scouting and feel confident that even if the ruins were previously explored, you may still find more loot. So a ruin contains two things you will find valuable: technology and loot. 


You are first on the list this time, and players line up to play. The OG pulls a group of players away, but you know that the number actually going out into the field isn't how many players leave with the OG since it will be secret until the horn blares. The OG will explain what the players will be and you'll be able to identify what they are by the color of the armband they wear is. 


Some temporary wall segments have been set up on the top of a hill. They are made of 2x4 frames and canvas stappled to them with large bolts holding 8'X8' segments together. You set up your group at the spawn zone the OG leads your group to and wait, your plan already made. 


The air horn blares and your forward group charges for the closest cover to the entrance to the ruins. They tote two shield generators with them as they quickly march down the field. As they do, you hear and see streams of bbs being fired in their direction, you assume automated turrets, but it could be plasma rifle equipped automatons--you hope not since they'll make mince meat out of you. 

You take cover 20 yards behind and to the right of your forward group. 3 Agents are part of your support group and while still out by 70 yards, they start taking shots at the windows of the ruins. You can't tell where the players are hiding since its dark inside the temp structure, but a lucky shot can take out an automaton. Still not sure what is in the building, you and your forward group close the distance to 50 yards as they hit closer cover. 

Little cover is close to the structure as you climb the hill; the shield generators covering the forward group is the only cover they have for the last 30 yards. Your support group now crouches 50 yards away. The incoming fire from the turrets took out your field surgeon on your last dash for cover and seriously jeopardizes the operation. But the forward group is loaded with disruption grenades and should prove dangerous when they enter melee range.

Since the quarters will be tight in the temp building acting as ruins, all players will have to switch to melee weapons. And since the disruption grenades aren't airsoft, they're just thrown and affect on touch, you feel confident that if there aren't too many automatons in the ruins they should fair well.
 
The forward group closes the gap to one side of the building and about 10 yards from the entrance. They hug the wall as they chuck two airsoft grenades into the ruin. They go off, but without a clear view you don't know how many players were knocked out. The last member of the forward team primes and chucks a smoke grenade into the entrance and soon afterwards the team files quickly one by one into the building. As soon as the airsoft grenades went off though, your group was already at a full sprint towards the opposite side of the entrance. 


Smoke bellows out of the temp building and you here shouts out of it as melee ensues. You barge into the building, throwing disruption grenades at anyone not wearing one of your company's arm bands. With knives and sabers at the ready, you chop down the stunned automatons. You've lost half of the forward group and your field surgeon, but still win the ruins!


Now the second part of the mission, activating the package. An OG steps into the ruin after the smoke clears and asks to see the Passport of a character who will attempt to activate the package. You hand him yours and she nods; body language that states your character is of high enough rank to attempt the activation. You kneel at the case, its covered in copper piping, gears, metal plates and other hardware typical of Steampunk. 


You take a breath as you twist the knobs keeping the case shut. As soon as you open it fully you can see a digital timer counting down from 58 seconds, it started as soon as you started opening the case. Your eyes dart around the case, and you spot at least 8 valves with red paint on them. You hesitate as you take it all in and start switching all of the valves from red to green. It doesn't take long and you still have 30 seconds on the clock as you look at the OG who is looking over your shoulder; she doesn't give you a nod which means some of the switches are hidden--go figure. You scramble around the case with your hands and eyes for a hidden switch or toggle. Copper tubing crisscrosses the case and your hands navigate each tube on the bottom side for the hidden switch. The clock dwindles down to 10 seconds and counting and you get desperate; you didn't lose 4 player characters and all this time to fail here. With just 3 seconds to spare you find the last switch and the clock stops. You don't know if it was the heat of the day, the action of the battle, or the desperation you had staring at the copper tubes in the case but a bead of sweat drips off your chin into the case. Congratulations! You have successfully obtained a previously undiscovered technology!  

Looking at the OG with anticipation she hands you a blue print document and on its title line it says: Phantasmagoric Gas. From the rule book you have scoured this means you have access to a purple colored gas grenade that whomever the gas touches becomes delirious and suffers the effects of mortal wounds, further any player characters touched by it cannot respawn for the rest of the battle (The effects of the Phantasmagoric grenade are still up for debate). 

You also recover 3 dozen units of the mysterious element native only to AP, valuable as an asset or building material as well as 2 Phantasmagoric Grenades' operator licenses. You still have to supply the physical object, but you have the license to use it in a story battle. 

With the technology and materials in tow, you intend to make a bee line for the nearest ETC outpost to make a trade and start the beginnings of a company outpost for yourself. You have found your major break! 


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Player companies will need to pay for the salaries of personnel and the supplies to keep them content and the building materials to construct the structures that make up an outpost. A player company can either save up enough bank notes to start their own base, sell newly discovered technologies to player companies or the ETC, or secure a loan from the ETC to start an outpost by showing a viable business plan. The first two can take quite a bit of time, but if a player company chances upon a large vein of the mysterious element they may find the ETC very interested in supplying a loan to them.

Although a business plan does not always have to include a mine of the mysterious element; other plans could include the supply of arms or other supplies to the ETC or other buyers. 


But make sure to pay off the loan in time, or the ETC will bring in their para-military forces to claim what they believe is the value of the unpaid loan in your outpost materials. And should those prove insufficient, they might jail your character for a few months; keeping him or her from performing any monthly actions, giving orders, or taking part in battles. 


But with the ETC loan, player companies can start up bases a lot faster than they would without them; the ETC wants you to do well as it does well for them!