The 151st Airborne Smugglers

Hub is Elizabeth Bartley's campaign set in the universe of James Schmidt's Hub stories. Players for that session included:

1. Erik Hanson -- Patch Brierson, aka Briar Patch, precognitive smuggler

2. Joshua Kronengold -- Jealousy Jones, psi resistant detective

3. Lisa Padol -- Marius Lecks, empathic doctor

4. Matthew Stevens -- Jim DeGris, suave retired catburglar with telekinesis

The PCs had helped foil a hijacking of a living ship, and the hijackers had been turned over to the authorities. Jim and Jealousy decided to spend more time in each other's company, say, renting an aircar to explore an island. After all, the flora was supposed to be lovely and exotic. Marius decided to do the same, out of medical interest, on his own, so as not to crash their date. Patch had some smuggling and gambling to do.

Marius found his air car malfunctioning and managed to land it well. Jealousy and Jim had similar problems with their car. IIRC, it was kept airborne through a combination of Jealousy's gadgetry skill and Jim's telekinesis. Patch sensed big trouble just before he was to get paid for his work. He left just ahead of an explosion, IIRC.

Marius called for help with his downed aircar and was told to stay put. Patch, sensing he was not the only one in immanent danger, contacted the others. When Marius learned about Jim and Jealousy's aircar trouble, he hid, watching as what seemed to be a medical team arrived where he'd landed the aircar. Marius hadn't been hurt, but sending medics was not necessarily strange.

Patch got a precognitive flash that Marius needed to get moving fast. I think the two of them wound up on handgliders or somesuch. Jim and Jealousy found their aircar under attack and surrendered. Patch contacted some friends, and thus was born the 151st Airborne Smugglers.

Erik had gone into a riff of Patch's smuggler friends attacking by showering a target with stolen music CD and other stuff. Something in his delivery had us all laughing, and rendered the GM helpless with giggles. So, she decided to allow the 151st Airborne.

I believe Jim and Jealousy attempted an unsuccessful escape as they were brought to their destination. They were bound more securely, and began to work on this with technology and telekinesis from the office in which they were deposited.

This office was part of an supply complex, like Office Depot. Alas, much of its warehouse stock was destroyed by the fire started by the rain of CDs from the 151st Airborne Smugglers. Marius and Patch moved towards the office where Jim and Jealousy were being held.

Jim and Jealousy found their attempt to escape complicated by a mental attack from a rogue telepath. This telepath also tried to attack Patch and Marius. Jealousy was able to resist, at least a little. She's hard to attack mentally.

Marius decided to try something different. He used his empathy to stay in touch with the mind of the telepath and try to make it angry. He also took an itching powder grenade that a colleague of his, Dr. Blan, had created the formula for. Marius used it on himself and made sure that the telepath could feel his pain. This proved an excellent distraction, although Marius' itch did leak a little onto Patch. Nevertheless, Patch, Marius, Jealousy, and Jim were able to coordinate and overcome the telepath and his friends.

The rogue telepath turned out to be a 9-year-old boy. He had been kidnapped by a criminal gang, which explained why he had not come to Psychology's attention. Psychology made sure folks with psychic powers were trained and had a reasonable set of ethics.

The 9-year-old did not. The criminals who raised him convinced him to use his talents on their behalf. Unfortunately for them, he came to decide that he was smarter than they were, and that the gang would do better if he were in charge. He used his powers to put himself in charge and sent most of the gang on what was intended to be one final heist to allow everyone to retire wealthy: the hijacking of the ship that the PCs had foiled.

The boy was angry at the PCs, and he wanted to help his friends who had gotten arrested. So, he decided to grab some of the people responsible. Being 9, his tactics were far from brilliant. As one of Patch's smuggler friends noted, the obvious way to grab Marius would have been to have one of the cops in the gang's pay ask Marius to come to the police station to answer questions about the hijacking. This might well have worked for the others.

The boy planed to use his telepathy to make the PCs testify the way he wanted to, not seeing all of the holes in this plan. Marius decided to call Psychology and have someone collect the now unconscious telepath. Patch and Jim decided to avoid Psychology.

Erik decided to drop out at this point. IIRC, he didn't feel he was clicking with the mood of the game. We can always write Patch in if he decides to play for a session or 2, and meanwhile, it makes sense for Patch to want safer company. He's currently the manager of the Boys Band that he and Marius inadvertently started to sneak onto a space station.