(Savage Pulp) #3.3 The Working Hideout

A few weeks ago, control of the town of Sohai was turned over to Lieutenant Colonel Thaddeus Ovaltine and his private army, the Rough 'n Ready Riders (hereafter called "agents.") While locals anticipated the worst from this regime change, the transition had been oddly positive.

Ovaltine had arrested or exiled the most despicable of the Sohai elite: the politicians and government officials.  With them eliminated, the various criminal elements settled into place.  For the average person eeking out an existence, little would change, save one important new rule:  no gunfights in town.

Ovatline knew that barroom brawls, knife fights, and other physical violence would never change, but giving his own agents carte blanche to mete out justice for gunplay was welcomed by nearly everyone, good or bad.

As "Mayor" Ovaltine consolidated power, the discussions between the Valiant Citizen Brigade, led by James J. Jimmerson, and the Russian sailors with Captain Vladimir Kaputin at helm, fell apart.  Despite needing many allies in this dark time, there would be no collusion with the Russians.

But before they ceased talks, they both learned the same interesting fact:  the henchmen for now-deceased Mayor Tower were now working for a mysterious cult.  Few specifics were obtained, save that a workshop/laboratory/armory for the cult was just within walking distance from the Soko Market. 

The Soko Market

Objectives:

• The Cult's Hideout (Major)  Chemists and laborers were rumored to go in and out of the building at all hours.  The new hooded figures hanging outside the door on a smoke break may have given it away. 

The Cult's hideout/workshop

• The Mechanic (Minor-mobile):  His excessive drinking already gave the parties the intel they needed.  Capturing him might net them some technical expertise

A worker from the cult's workshop, bringing a large sack lunch

• The Chemist (Minor-mobile): A Scotsman with a harsh accent and a deliberate daily walk to the hideout.  
• Crates (Minor):  A strange toffee delivery truck rumored to be part of the cultists operation may have dropped off a recent shipment outside the wrong building.  It may or may not be valuable... or the cultists may be looking for it.  

Our Necessary Evils:

The Valiant Citizen Brigade (VCB):  Led by local businessman James J Jimmerson (Wild Card) the group had dropped a member for this mission. 

The Valiant Citizen Brigade, led by James J. Jimmerson (far left)

The Russian Sailors:  Recent losses forced Captain Kaputin to assemble a new crew with a much more local flair.  The language barrier was difficult, but they shared the captain's ruthless aggression.

Captain Kaputin and his new Black Russian crew

Turn One:  Captain Kaputin seized the initiative and chased after the Cult's mechanic.  Strangely enough, the man turned around (random movement), and after a quick conversation, offered to help the Russian.  Kaputin's new henchmen skirted down a back alley and almost panicked as an agent guarded the the corner.

Kaputin persuades the cultist's laborer to join the Russian high seas...

The VCB had the misfortune of walking into the market it seemed most of the townsfolk were doing their shopping, and the Chemist was wandering around a far corner.  Jimmerson set one of his men skirting the side to investigated the crates, while two trudged through the crowd.  Meanwhile, he wandered off, closer to the alleged hideout.

Turn Two:  Things turned from bad to worse for both teams.  The supposed toffee truck made and appearance, driving right near the crates!  (The truck would only make an appearance if the cultists got the Joker during initiative.  Face cards would have made all the cultists a lot more aggressive.)

I don't think the cultists driving the truck are wearing their hoods.

The Black Russians moved down the alley and casually acknowledged the agent at the corner.

All planning they had concocted was thrown out the window as Mr. Jenkins of the VCB accidentally walked right in front the truck.  Realizing who was in the truck and ignoring Ovaltine's man mere feet from him, Jenkins pulled a revolver out and unloaded it into the oncoming truck.

Ovaltine's agent and the two Black Russians see a random citizen fire at a simple toffee delivery truck.

Jenkins' fellow activists were not faring any better.  Both had been accosted to former member, and permanent crackpot treasure seeker.  Little did they know, the million questions he had for them may have saved their lives.

A former Valiant citizen accosts two current members on a mission.

Jimmerson wandered across the street near the hideout and let out an audible laugh. There, wandering down an adjacent side street, was the ever-shirtless Kaputin.

Mr Jimmerson spies his former ally in the distance

With a new ally, Kaputin lept into action, assaulting the cultists with fist and clubs... all acceptable weapons.  Their blows couldn't bruise a peach and the cultists were far more vicious, including pulling out a handgun and hitting the captain in the shoulder.

The Russians are surprised by the overt defense of the cultists's workshop.

The crew in the toffee truck were incredibly inept.  Not only had they not realized the misplaced shipment from this morning, they were hours early for a pickup of secret weapons.  Even worse, knowing of the heavy policing, the driver still panicked and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Mr Jenkins didn't know what hit him and was instantly killed, as did a local street vendor who couldn't get out of the way.

The truck runs over the Valiant citizen, strikes an innocent bystander, and floors it driving into the marketplace.

Two agents quickly pursued the rampaging truck.  The new Russian hires followed them up to the crates, stopped,and began carrying them back.

Two more victims of the errant toffee truck.

The toffee truck careened through the market, knocking over tents, upsetting tables, and scattering the populace.   Another vendor and another agent of Ovaltine's succumbed to blunt force trauma.

Meanwhile, Kaputin called off his toothless dogs assaulting the hideout and ran some interference by calling on the local agent around the hideout.  The agent had heard multiple gunshots put Kaputin's fantastic acting sold him on investigating the hideout first, but when he turned the corner, everything in the street as empty and calm.

"Comrade Soldier, there are men with guns that way."

The two pursuing agent finally managed to jump on the running boards and in a vicious melee, forced the truck into a nearby billing.  The cultist in the passenger managed to shoot the agent on his side before running off into the street.

The truck crashes into the secret workshop. 

With the immediate threat of more of Ovaltine's men coming into the location, it was time for everyone to meld into the backgrounds.

Jimmerson had thought about choosing sides between the Russians and Cultists, but things had deteriorated much too quickly.  He was more interested in following the Chemist, who had somehow avoided all the chaos in the market and was walking away.  His other two surviving compatriots viewed the accident for a bit and headed home.

The Russians were happy with their haul.   No big data about the hideout, but the former mechanic could identify a number of odd chemicals.

The Russians leave with their spoils....

The funniest things happened to the Cultists.  With the loss of their delivery truck, they were forced to move their "product" under cover of darkness.   And trying to smooth over local feathers, Lt. Col Ovaltine offered payments to families of those killed by the truck, and made repairs on the building the cultists struck.... which was the cultists' secret hideout.

A rather unfinished looking fellow escapes the carnage and watches the chaos unfold.

Based on points, cultists not only defended their hideout, they scared away the Russians, scattered before Ovaltine's men arrived, and had their delivery trucks cause mass chaos
Cultists - 50
Russians - 20
Ovaltine - 15
Citizens - 0

After three games with all bad guys this "Season", we might be seeing some good guys in the next game.

This game was heavily influenced by Preacher by Day

Next:  Episode #3.4:  Good guys out in the desert!