The Lase-O-Rama Supremacy

Re-cap of session 69 played on 27 June 2025.

Location: Larssen-Randin system (Halcyon 1917)

Dates: 033–5601 to 035–5601

Sports promoter London Yueh is from an upper-class background. His family's position and wealth means that he has always had everything he wants; he feels a vague shame about this. But he also has a sincere love of professional laser tag. He's delighted to have arranged an three-way exhibition match involving Nogudnyk's crew and two of the leading local teams, the Raptors and the Spartans.

During much of the Fringian Dark Age (ca. 3730–4570 AD), when interstellar civilization collapsed, society on Randin was reduced to small clusters of survivalists scrabbling for resources amidst the crumbling ruins of cities. Even a thousand years later, this period looms large in the popular imagination. In laser tag, it is common to set up matches that mimic the era. This is what Yueh has arranged for you. Three four-person teams will face off in a post-apocalyptic urban landscape, each starting in one of three ruined structures: a squat, five-story apartment tower; a two-story auto repair shop; and a one-story diner. The goal: capture any other team's HQ and hold it against all comers for three rounds. Each team member must choose amongst four weapon load-outs: a double-barrelled, sawed-off shotgun (devastating at close range), a pipe-gun carbine (good all around), a sniper rifle (great when aimed), or two pipe-gun revolvers (superior cool factor). (All of these weapons are, of course, just laser tag toys mocked up to look like the primitive guns used during the Dark Age.) Everyone dons ragged clothes meant to reflect the look of the times, but these are in reality the customary laser tag suits dotted with sensors that monitor the wearer's interactions with low-power laser beams and other energies. As usual, the set's design includes a combination of physical and holographic devices that allow for the creation of realistic but illusory hazards, such as explosions and mutated wasteland monsters. "Loot boxes" are scattered about the arena, where lucky players may find extra ammo, medpaks that give players more "health," or grenades that cause holographic explosions. Somewhere on the set is hidden a special weapon: a laser gatling gun that can bring down walls and destroy cover. 

By luck of the draw, Team Treemyst starts out in the tower — a bit of good fortune that turns out to be decisive. Armed with the sniper rifle, Sasha takes up position on the rooftop, where she enjoys commanding views and decent cover while picking off opponents who dare to venture into the open. Griff, Jacobe, and Nogudnyk make their way down to the ground and ward off attempts to infiltrate your base. Seeing the diner weakly defended, you decide to make it your target. Nogudnyk bravely draws enemy fire while Griff and Jacobe rush the defenders and take them out. Too late, your enemies realize their error: they fail to retake the diner in time. You are the victors.

The win makes you local sports heroes. You quickly design and market Team Treemyst merch — mugs, caps, shirts — to capitalize on the moment. In addition, you take every opportunity to blare your theme song over Randin's social media, a "Born in the USA"-type song whose lyrics, you hope, will encourage the people to question their government's recent invasion of the Kylen system, amongst other things.

London Yueh is happy to announce your prize: an all-expenses-stay at the exclusive Amorita Park luxury hotel on the ice moon of Belenia. It's where the one-percent and the A-list celebs hang out, enjoying the spectacular aurorae caused by a cryovolcano's periodic eruptions. Normally, folks with your mediocre-to-below-average SOC characteristics would never be welcome there, but your current fame allows you to temporarily overcome that barrier. Pack your bags — extravagant indulgence awaits!