#2 | The Broken Fence
Sunbound, a tabletop sci-fi narrative campaign
The Sunbound campaign takes place in our star system, approximately 1,000 years in the future. Humanity has scoured every corner of the Solar System, yet frustratingly remains unable to break into neighbouring star systems and the vastness beyond …
Static over Io
The hull was scorched. It stung the nostrils.
Captain Lance ‘Glancing Hit’ Tweaker stood in the cargo bay watching weld sparks dance across the patched skin of the Beltbreaker Gambit. The repair crew had sealed most of the damage left by the plasmonic entities but the ship carried scars older than anyone aboard.
First Mate Kane sat nearby beneath the glow of a maintenance lamp, staring at nothing.
The Tekker’s shoulder had healed. Mostly. Medic said he was fit enough to work again, though they muttered something about his nerves and prescribed less tinkering and more sleeping.
Kane ignored both recommendations.
The anti-gravity patch they’d salvaged sat folded beside him, still sealed in scav-wrap. Next to it rested the light armour with its humming energy shield. Good loot, expensive gear, the kind that nearly cost them a crew member – him.
‘Grenadier’ drifted somewhere beyond the docking arm, still recovering from his accidental excursion into the black. ‘Codebreaker’ had eventually reeled him in with more luck than precision and had spent the following day insisting it was entirely intentional.
The captain wasn’t buying it.
A metallic clang echoed through the bay.
Kane flinched; Lance noticed.
“Funny thing about wounds,” Lance mused under his breath. “Flesh heals faster than memory.”
He asked Kane: “You planning on speaking today?”
Kane rubbed tired eyes. “Depends.”
“On?”
“If you’re going to say I nearly got us killed?”
Lance leaned against a cargo crate. “You nearly got yourself killed.”
Kane stared at the salvaged armour. “Same difference.”
“No,” Lance said quietly.
Silence settled between them while the Beltbreaker Gambit groaned around them.
The plasmonic attack had paid surprisingly well. Experience, salvage and enough recovered factory codes from the warbot facility to attract the wrong kind of attention. They’d fought hard for those encrypted strings buried inside the machine’s core.
Hard enough that Lance still found fresh bruises every morning.
But the codes were worthless unread.
And there were only a handful of people scattered through the frontier who could crack industrial terraforming architecture without asking inconvenient questions.
Kane finally looked up. “You thinking about our man on that pastoral rock orbiting Io?”
Lance scratched his jaw. “Trying not to.”
“Jimmy’s the best Fence we know.”
“Also the least trustworthy,” Lance said. “Which is why he’s still breathing.” The captain pushed off the crate and drifted toward the comm console bolted near the bay hatch.
Codebreaker’s voice emerged through static. “I heard that.”
“You were listening?” Lance said.
“You leave internal comms open, Captain.”
“I leave your comms open so I know what disasters are developing.”
“Then good news,” Codebreaker said. “Only moderate disaster.”
Lance keyed the channel. “Talk.”
“I ran another pass on the recovered code package,” Codebreaker said. “Layered encryption, industrial routing, old Martian terraforming syntax buried under a lot of noise.”
Kane perked up immediately. “You got a partial?”
“Sort of,” Codebreaker said.
Lance hated those words already.
Codebreaker continued. “It references a legacy broadcast key. Ancient. Maybe older than the Republic split.”
Kane stood too quickly and caught himself against the bulkhead.
“The transmission.”
“Could be related,” Codebreaker admitted. “Could also be coincidence.”
“There are no coincidences in signal traffic,” Kane said.
“There absolutely are,” Lance snapped. “Most of mine involve unpaid docking fees.”
Codebreaker ignored them both. “One thing’s certain. I can’t crack this onboard.”
Lance already knew where the conversation ended.
The quiet rock sat well beyond trade lanes and even further beyond official charts. Pastoral, isolated and forgettable by design. Exactly the kind of place someone like Jimmy preferred.
Their contact specialised in impossible decryptions and professional indifference. Useful qualities, too.
“Send them a ping,” Lance said.
Codebreaker paused.
“Already did.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
Kane frowned.
“No reply?” Lance said.
“Just static,” Codebreaker said with a hiss.
That pulled the humour clean out of the room.
Lance folded his arms. Jimmy always answered.
“Try again,” Lance said.
“Three times,” Codebreaker said.
“Different bands?”
“Six.”
“And?”
Codebreaker hesitated.
“Still static.”
The captain exchanged a look with Kane.
“Plot the course,” Lance said.
The Beltbreaker Gambit dropped toward the little moon beneath a curtain of amber cloud and volcanic glow reflected from distant Io.
Purple-tinged valleys rolled between low stone ridges. Water glimmered in thin streams. Grazing moss-beasts wandered beneath pale trees bent by weak gravity and constant wind.
Lance disliked it immediately. Peaceful places usually hid violence badly.
The ship settled into a shallow valley with landing struts protesting beneath her weight.
There was no welcoming beacon, coded handshake or even a drunken message about unexpected visitors. Only static to greet them.
The crew gathered near the ramp while Lance checked his gear.
Medic adjusted fresh seals on Kane’s suit and muttered warnings he pretended not to hear. Commando checked ammunition. Sentry stood motionless beside the hatch like a loaded threat while Codebreaker ran the recruits through their last-minute preparations and then hastily decided to give them some fool’s errand onboard instead.
The ramp lowered. Cold valley air swept inside.
Lance stepped onto the soil first and led the crew onward until they reached Jimmy’s homestead.
But something was off. The buildings were in ruins.
And then Lance spotted the holes in the electric fencing and the system was arcing wildly.
He also caught movement which flashed around the corner of the demolished property.
Lance froze.
Beside him, Kane lowered his scanner. “You see that?”
“Yeah.”
“Animal?”
Lance didn’t answer.
A tap touched his shoulder.
He turned.
Sentry pointed toward the opposite ridge, indicating what appeared to be another crew.
Lance felt his stomach tighten. He looked back toward the silent house.
If Jimmy the Fence was alive, he needed help.
“We move,” Lance said.
The Broken Fence
Turn 1
The Glancing Hitters won the initiative and everyone scrambled for that loot.
The broken fence pulsed but miraculously everyone survived the zaps.
Turn 2
Fortune favoured the Martians again.
Captain Lance Tweaker claimed a data token!
The Drifter Captain and his gunner peeked around the corner of the fence. They both opened fire on Lance with carbines – the enemy leader inflicts one point of damage on Lance.
Kane sprayed and missed with his rapid fire weapon. Medic fired a pistol and the shot went wide like the Commando’s carbine.
The Drifter First Mate attempted to retrieve loot and failed in the heat of the action but the Sniper – S Nippers – successfully scored physical loot. The enemy Commando lets rip and misses.
The fence pulsed again. Zap! The hostile trooper received 3 damage.
Turn 3
The Drifters won the initiative. The Captain’s squad sprinted for physical loot and surrounded it.
Meanwhile, Lance led his entourage into Jimmy the Fence’s territory.
The other Drifters also entered from the opposite end with the remaining Tweakers following up the rear.
The Drifters’ First Mate attempted to cast psionic fire but missed (rolled a 13, needed a 14!).
The Drifter Sniper crit-hit a Ferrox inflicting 7 damage (it had 5 health remaining) and stunned it.
The fence zapped Captain Lance Tweaker but his boots grounded the electric burst.
Turn 4
The Glancing Hitters seized the initiative. Hoorah!
Lance’s squad moved into position. He casted psionic fire on a Ferrox inflicting 5 damage and taking a strain of damage for the effort. Sentry and Grenadier opened fire finishing off the wounded Ferrox.
The Drifters recovered another physical loot token while the hostile Sniper and Commando popped shots at the Glancing Hitters’ Grenadier but weren’t able to crack his armour.
Kane’s team infiltrated behind the other Drifters and instead of assaulting them from behind attempted to whittle away the aliens but were not successful.
By sheer resilience and luck the wounded Ferrox survived incoming fire from the other Drifter squad.
Another Ferrox charged the Glancing Hitters’ Grenadier and he slammed it back for 7 damage.
And ‘Firey Ferrox’ launched off the corner of Jimmy’s ruined house to assault Captain Lance Tweaker only for it to be repelled for 2 damage.
Nothing happened with the electric fence.
Turn 5
The Drifters won the initiative.
S Nippers achieved the main objective of retrieving the central digital loot! C Mando finished off the injured Ferrox.
In a fit of rage, Captain Lance Tweaker threw a little psionic fire at a Ferrox. It was not effective. Rather than risk casualties and being swarmed by surprise aliens, he ordered a tactical withdrawal (much to First Mate Kane’s relief).
Everyone ran.
A random Ferrox appeared.
Turn 6
While the opportunity was tempting to try and fight for that primary objective loot … everyone simply hauled arse home.
Nothing happened with the fence.
Turn 7
The Drifters were the first to escape.
The Tweakers had only exfiltrated half their team.
That electric fence kept arcing and buzzing.
Turn 8
The end.
The Drifters secured their victory.
Post game sequence
MVPs were the Drifter Sniper and Captain Lance Tweaker (they will receive a single re-roll in the next game played).
No injury or death on either side. Phew!
Captain Lance Tweaker did cast psionic fire successfully twice.
Calculate XP and levels:
Glancing Hitters:
+30XP for each game played with the crew.
+20XP one digital loot unlocked.
+20XP for the Cap casting psionic fire successfully twice.
+5XP for killing a Ferrox.
Moist +9 (Drifters):
+30XP for each game played with the crew.
+60XP for unlocking 2 physical and 1 digital loot.
+10XP killed 2 Ferrox.
Roll for loot.
Glancing Hitters:
Digital loot > Advanced weapon > Shotgun, +1 damage (cost 500cr / sell 150cr)
Drifters:
Physical loot > alien artifact > Psychic resonator (cost 800cr / sell 300cr)
Physical loot > Advanced technology table 1 > Improved drone (cost 500cr / sell 250cr)
Digital loot > Advanced technology table II > Swiftsuit (cost 500cr / sell 250cr)
Optional: Re-roll loot based on faction bonuses … we settled with our initial rolls.
Optional – spend loot … we’ll need to update our rosters …
To be continued …
Catch up on the story
#1 | Plasmonic Hitchikers & Signal Scramble
The Sunbound campaign takes place in our star system, approximately 1,000 years in the future. Humanity has scoured every corner of the Solar System, yet frustratingly remains unable to break into neighbouring star systems and the vastness beyond …