The Ace of Spades Campaign - Take a Chance On Me part 7

"How could you, Storm?" Rebecca screamed furiously. "You promised you'd give Luna safe passage off planet! Now you're just going to hand her back to her father. For God's sake, why?"
"Calm down, Becky," Storm said knowing there was little she could say to placate the young burglar. "Our first priority is to get Kyran back. She's crew and family."
"But you promised Luna," Rebecca countered petulantly. "Surely that must mean something?"
"I'm sorry, Becky," Storm said apologetically. "If anyone has a sensible suggestion to get us out of this mess then I'm all ears."
"Actually, I've been thinking," Julia said. "I have a plan for getting Kyran back and saving Luna."
Rebecca, Storm and Sharuna looked at her in open-mouthed and wide-eyed surprise. To them it seemed like a simple choice between saving Kyran or Luna, not both.
"The hand over will appear to go ahead as Darius expects," Julia said calmly, "but I know how we can double cross him. We can set up an ambush and remain hidden with our new invisibility cloaks!"
"That's brilliant!" Rebecca squealed. She hugged Julia who smiled warmly at her.
"Sharuna, contact Jeanette, Katja and Danica," Julia ordered, instinctively taking command. "Tell them to get back to The Jack of Spades and rendezvous with us."

Danica and Katja agreed to return to the starport. They had finished their shopping spree and were ready to return home anyway. Jeanette was on her own in the foyer of the hotel she, Kimberley, Gwendoline and Celeste were staying in.
"Hi, Sharuna," she replied to the coms message. "What's up?"
"Jeanette, listen," Sharuna said. "Get back to The Jack of Spades as soon as possible. Danica and Katja will be waiting for you. I want you to fly them back to The Ace of Spades. We have an emergency situation here. Do not mention that to Kimberley, Gwen or Celeste. The least they know about what's going on the better."
"Sure," Jeanette confirmed, "But what sort of emergency is it?"
"Don't ask," Sharuna answered. "All will be explained when you get back. Make haste. Sharuna out."
Jeanette frowned and wondered what sort of emergency it could be. She decided to lie to Kimberley and tell her that she was going to pick up more of the crew to watch her in the poker final. Lying was second nature to her. After all, she had been living a lie as the ship's gunnery officer ever since she joined the crew of The Ace of Spades two years ago.

The Poker Final

Kimberley had spent the day of the final getting glammed up. She wanted to make a good impression when she arrived at the Casino Triomphe that evening. She pampered herself by having her hair professionally washed and styled at a high class stylists. She also had a facial and manicure. From her wardrobe she chose a skintight sparkling pink body suit that was daringly cut to below her belly button, emphasising her ample cleavage. She accessorised the body suit with long white silk gloves and a white belt. Her perfume was a very expensive gift from Storm who was a perfume connoisseur.
"You look stunning, Kim," Gwendoline approvingly remarked when she saw Kimberley emerge from her hotel room.
"Thank you kindly, Gwen," Kimberley smiled at her best friend. "Let's go break some hearts."
Together with Celeste, Kimberley's loyal bodyguard android, they arrived at the Casino Triomphe in good time for the poker final. Kimberley was feeling full of confidence, even though she was placed as the third favourite to win.
Casino manager James Eliot Brubaker introduced the four finalists to the large crowd that had gathered and to the Tri-Vee viewers who had tuned in. First in line was Darek Kincaid, an elderly and portly human who was second favourite to win the final. He was a professional gambler and much respected. Next to him was Emerich Rach, Kimberley's old friend who she had met a few days ago. Kimberley was secretly pleased to see him in the final. Matching Kimberley in the looks department was Halmia Katura, the runaway favourite to win first prize in the poker contest. She had a reputation as a successful gambler that made her a feared opponent across the galaxy. She was charming and polite. Both the crowd and the media loved her.

Turn 1
Darek had CHA 3d6 and Gambling skill 4d6 giving him 7d6. He also had the Cheat exploit, allowing him to re-roll 1s and the Hook, loves to gamble, which makes any 6 he rolls explode. His LUC attribute was 4d6.
Emerich had CHA 3d6 and Gambling skill 3d6 giving him 6d6. He also had the Hook, loves to gamble, which let him treat any roll of 6 as an exploding die. He had LUC attribute 4d6.
Halmia had CHA 4d6 and Card Games skill 4d6 giving her 8d6. She also had the Cheat exploit, allowing her to re-roll 1s and the Hook, loves to play card games, which makes any 6 she rolls explode. Her LUC attribute was 4d6.
Kimberley had CHA 3d6 plus Gambling 3d6 giving her 6d6. Her Hook (enjoys gambling) let her treat any roll of 6 as an exploding dice. Her LUC attribute was 5d6.
Darek rolled 6+(4)+6+(2)+4+4+3+2+{1}+3=34. Remember numbers in {} are not counted towards the total.
Emerich rolled 6+(5)+6+(3)+5+4+1+1=31.
Halmia rolled 5+4+3+3+3+3+2+{1}+6=29.
Kimberley rolled 6+(3)+5+5+5+4+2=30.
The opening gameplay was a surprise with Halmia coming last. Darek made a good start and Emerich and Kimberley only just beat Halmia.

Turn 2
Darek rolled 5+5+4+3+3+3+2=25. He now had a running total of 59.
Emerich rolled 6+(5)+6+(3)+5+4+2+2=33. His running total was 64.
Halmia rolled 6+(5)+5+5+5+4+3+2+{1}+2=37. Her running total was 66.
Kimberley rolled 6+(5)+6+(+3)+6+(1)+4+2+1=34. Her running total was 64.
This time the roles were reversed with Darek performing very poorly and Halmia storming into the lead. Emerich and Kimberley were tied in second place and were happy with their showing.

Turn 3
This was now the first of the elimination rounds. No one wanted to come last but someone would. The tension was ramped up as potentially any one could win or lose.
Darek rolled 6+(3)+5+4+4+4+2+{1}+3=31. This gave him a running total of 90.
Emerich rolled 6+(6+3)+5+4+2+1+1=28. This gave him a running total of 92.
Halmia rolled 6+(5)+5+4+4+3+2+2+{1}+3=34. This gave her a running total of 100.
Kimberley rolled 6+(6+1)+6+(4)+4+3+1+1=32. This gave her a running total of 96.

With the lowest score so far, Darek Kincaid was sensationally eliminated. Kimberley and Emerich gave each other a thumbs up, knowing that with Darek gone their own chances of making it to the final were suddenly much improved. Even so, Halmia had found her form and was still the firm favourite to win.

Turn 4
Emerich rolled 6+(5)+6+(3)+4+4+3+1=32. He had a running total of 124.
Halmia rolled 6+(4)+5+4+3+3+2+{1}+6+{1}+5=38. She had a running total of 138.
Kimberley rolled 6+(6+4)+5+5+4+3+1=34. She had a running total of 130.
Emerich was out.  

Kimberley gave him a sympathetic hug and a kiss on his check.
"I'm so sorry, Emerich," she said consolingly, "I wish we could have both made it to the final."
"These things happen," Emerich acknowledged wistfully. "On the day, you two ladies were better than me. Now go beat her ass!"
Kimberley smiled as he left the stage. Beating Halmia would be extremely difficult but her confidence was still sky high. She could do it.

Turn 5
The final turned out to be far more dramatic than anyone could have imagined or predicted.
Both players spent all of their LUC dice - 5d6 for Kimberley and 4d6 for Halmia. LUC dice scores are denoted in red and they explode on a roll of 6.
Halmia rolled 6+(3)+6+(2)+5+3+3+2+2+{1}+4+6+(4)+3+3+2=54. This gave her a running total of 192.
Kimberley rolled 6+(6+5)+4+3+2+1+6+(3)+6+(3)+5+3+1=54. This gave her a running total of 184.
I could not believe it when both players achieved the same scores but these were the numbers I rolled. Just incredible! If they had not tied the winner would have been whoever rolled highest on that Turn. But because they tie, the winner would be the person with the highest running total, which was Halmia.

It was a tie! The casino manager bounded on to the stage and turned to the audience and camera crews.
"What a final that was!" he said with breathless excitement. "Who could have predicted that? However, there can only be one winner and overall, Halmia scored higher than Kimberley winning more of her matches. And so it gives me great pleasure to announce the winner of this year's professional poker competition is... Halmia Katura! Many congratulations, Halmia! My commiserations, Kimberley. You were a gallant and worthy finalist."

He handed over Kimberley's prize to her, a credstick with a value of 200MCr (200,000 Credits). Halmia won 500MCr and Emerich came away with 100MCr, whilst Darek received 75MCr. So none of the finalists left empty-handed. Kimberley left the stage knowing she had done her best and was very happy with her prize. All in all, it had been a good contest for her and she felt fully justified in entering. The prize money would go a long way to paying off the mortgage on The Ace of Spades.

Gwendoline swiftly ushered her to one of the casino's many bars where they met up with Emerich and his bodyguard, Karl Bergman. It was early in the morning of the next day and the drinks were flowing freely when Kimberley suddenly realised that none of the rest of her crew were present. Jeanette had told her that she was going to collect the others to watch her in the final but only Celeste and Gwendoline were present.
She switched on her planetary communicator and said, "Hi, Storm. Where is everyone? What's happening?"

The Ace of Spades Campaign - Take a Chance On Me part 6

Luna's Story
As soon as Julia and Rebecca returned to The Ace of Spades, the other crew members were both curious and excited to know who the new arrival was. They all made Luna very welcome. Judith immediately whisked her off to the Med-bay for a check up and declared her fit but slightly malnourished. This was not surprising seeing as she'd been living on the streets, hiding from the authorities and her father's goons for two months

Judith then took Luna to the ship's lounge where the rest of the crew apart from Sharuna, who was on bridge duty, had gathered. The teenager was given a hearty meal, which she declared was the best meal she'd eaten in a couple of months. She sat in between Judith and Rebecca, both of whom she had warmed to and trusted. Also in attendance were Julia, whom she'd met earlier that day and was fearful of, Storm the ship's pilot and acting captain in Kimberley's absence, engineer Kyran and scientist Lynda. The fact that there were no male crew members intrigued Luna. No doubt their absence would be explained later.

The crew politely waited until Luna had finished her meal before questioning her.
"So, Luna, tell us your story," Rebecca began. "I know you're a runaway. I want to know why."
"Okay," Luna began hesitantly. "So, I was born here on Alhambra. Together with my parents, Darius and Bianca, we live in a large luxury mansion on Sybaros, a huge domed resort on the opposite side of the world far away from the public domes surrounding the planet's main starport, New Xanadu. My father is a multi-millionaire who runs one of the most exclusive and profitable casinos on Sybaros. I'm an only child and I had a very normal upbringing. I did well at school and enrolled at college to study astronomy and astrophysics."
"Good choices," Lynda interjected approvingly.
"Carry on," Storm said, smiling at Lynda and Luna.
"I enjoyed singing, so I joined the college choir, " Luna continued. "Life was good. I was happy and I thought I had my whole future planned out until that fearsome night when everything changed."

Her face darkened as she recalled the events of that life-changing night. "I returned home from college elated. I had just been chosen as the lead singer in a musical the college was going to put on. I couldn't wait to tell my parents the good news. However, they weren't around so I asked one of the maids where they were and she told me they were down in the cellars but weren't to be disturbed. Of course I ignored her and found the cellar door locked, which was usual, but I had a spare key that no one else knew about. What I saw sickened me to my stomach. My father was torturing some poor man with a chainsaw. A freaking chainsaw! Can you believe it? Both were covered in blood from head to foot and my mother was urging him on to inflict more damage. He'd already had both legs cut off below his knees. They seemed to think he had betrayed something called The Organisation, which I presume my parents were members of. I'd never heard of it before."
"It's real," Julia noted. "I know a lot about it. It is evil and you do not want to mess with them"
"Fortunately, my parents didn't notice my presence what with the sound of the chainsaw and the screams of their victim. So I ran to my bedroom, packed my bags and fled. That was two months ago. I got lucky and stowed away on a shuttle to New Xanadu, where I spent my time living on the streets, begging and stealing just to survive. Last week I hid amongst a big group of tourists who were returning to this space station on one of the many space shuttles. No one questioned me and I was able to slip away hoping to find a ship that could take me off planet far away from here. And that's when Becky and Julia rescued me."
"You poor girl," Rebecca stood up and hugged Luna affectionately.

"What are we going to do with her?" Judith asked the obvious question. "We can't hand her back to her parents, can we?"
"I say she stays with us," Rebecca answered quickly. "I can empathise with her given my own background. I was down and desperate when Kimberley took a chance on me and allowed me to join our crew. Let's give Luna the same chance as me."
"We'll let her stay here for the time being," Storm decided, "But ultimately it's up to Kimberley. She is the ship's captain, after all. Whatever happens we will get you off planet away from here, Luna. Is that okay with you?"
"That's all I want," Luna said gratefully. "I won't be any trouble. Thank you so much."

Next day, Kyran left the ship bright and early. She had an appointment with the crew of the Queen Charlotte, a small Class 3 trader ship under the command of Lucy Cook. It had reported a faulty reactor and Kyran had volunteered to help repair it. This was to be her third and final day helping them out. She anticipated getting finished before midday barring no unforeseen problems. She was hoping to join Kimberley that evening to offer her support in the poker final contest.

She had done similar jobs on many space stations. She enjoyed chatting with other ship's crews and offering help if required. She rarely ever encountered any trouble and certainly was expecting today to be like any other - just another normal, routine day, doing what she did best - tinkering with engines and ships' components. She was totally unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.

A couple of hours later, Sharuna called Storm to the bridge with worrying news.
"What's up, Sharuna?" Storm asked as she moved alongside the young computer hacker who was at her communications console.
"I've just received a com from Lucy Cook, the captain of the Queen Charlotte. She's asking when Kyran is going to turn up to complete her repairs? The thing is, Kyran left over two hours ago. She should have arrived there long before now. I've tried calling Kyran but she's not replying. I'm getting worried about her."
"Most unusual," Storm mused. "I'll send Julia and Becky out to look for her. She can't have gone far. In the meantime, keep on trying to contact her."
Another three hours passed and Julia and Rebecca returned to The Ace of Spades after a fruitless search.
"Nothing!" Julia announced glumly. "No one has seen her. It's as if she's just vanished. I know this station is  a big place but someone somewhere must have seen her."
The four of them were still on the bridge when Sharuna beckoned them over.
"Heads up, guys," she said, "I have incoming message from someone called Darius Covin."
"That's Luna's father," Rebecca explained to Sharuna. "Put him on."

Darius Covin was a wiry and stern-looking gentleman in his mid-fifties, dressed immaculately in a white suit with a pale green tie. He was standing in a grey stone-clad room that was dimly lit.
"Greetings, miss Galloway," he began by addressing Storm directly. "I do believe you are missing a crew member - namely one engineer, Kyran Calaveri. I have her here."
The camera panned out to reveal Kyran being held by a fearsome-looking Drahzik Manhunter.
"Kyran, are you okay?" Storm screamed.
"I'm fine... so far," Kyran replied sluggishly. "Just listen to him and do as he says."
"Good advice," Darius sneered. "I have something you want back and you have something I want back - my daughter Luna. I propose we make a trade. Fly to the space station orbiting Sybaros and take a shuttle to its spaceport. A rental car will take you to Blandford Street on the outskirts of the city. You will wait by the McMahon warehouse, where I will arrive at midnight. Don't worry. At that time the street will be deserted so we shouldn't be disturbed. Just be there on time. Bring my daughter and whoever else you want from your crew but no one else. Do not worry about customs officials or ship inspectors. They will not bother you at all, I can assure you. Do as I say and all will go smoothly. You get your engineer back and I get my daughter back. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes, dammit! We have a deal," Storm agreed through gritted teeth. The coms screen went black.
"Shit, shit, shit!" she swore angrily. "What a fucking mess!"

The Ace of Spades Campaign - Take a Chance On Me part 5

Little Girl Lost
After Kimberley had flown Julia and Rebecca back to The Ace of Spades, the pair spent the afternoon touring the New Xanadu orbiting space station. Their only stop off was for food at a Chinese takeaway restaurant.

They were heading back to The Ace of Spades when they noticed a teenage female ahead of them. She was dressed in a pale pink jumpsuit with a baseball cap on her head. Her hands were in her pockets and she kept looking around, almost as if checking to see she was not being followed. Her clearly suspicious nature intrigued both women.
"I wonder what her story is?" Rebecca mused.
"Who knows?" Julia replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

When she reached the opening to a side alley a young male lunged at the girl. He grabbed her by the right arm and pulled her closer.
"Let me go!" the teenager screamed.

The shady-looking male had pink and blonde hair and wore a crimson leather jacket. He pulled the teenager further into the alley, just out of sight of Julia and Rebecca. He drew a blaster pistol from a holster on his right hip and jammed it into her stomach. Menacingly, he snarled, "Shut the fuck up! You're coming with us."
His partner, an ugly looking woman with a scar running diagonally across her face from forehead to chin, stepped next to the teenager and slapped her across the face, knocking her baseball cap off.
"If you don't come quietly I'll scar your pretty fucking face," she growled. To emphasise her point, she thrust a long-bladed combat knife at the teenager's left cheek. It didn't break the skin but it was enough to silence the terrified teenager.

Julia and Rebecca jogged the short distance to the alleyway.
"Uh-oh, this doesn't look good," Rebecca said. "We have to help her, agreed?" She had grown up as an orphan and spent a number of her childhood years as a street urchin living a day to day existence. Uppermost in her mind was the thought, "that could have been me."
Julia unslung her Transfarer P43 Fireflash Microwave Sniper Rifle from her shoulder.
"Sure, why not?" she drawled. "The poor kid could do with a guardian angel right about now."
Rebecca cast a quick glance at Julia and shivered. Julia's face looked grim and determined and the way she handled her sniper rifle made Becky think, "you look more like the Angel of Death than a guardian angel."

The kidnappers led the teenager around a corner to a much longer back alley. Not far away were two more street thugs. The closest, a bald headed male in his late-twenties, was dressed similarly to the scar-faced woman and pink-haired young punk in a leather jacket and casual clothing. He held a blaster pistol in his left hand down by the side of his body. The fourth person was a handsome, well dressed male, obviously the leader of the gang. He stood leaning against the back of a black SUV.
"Ooh, nice find, guys," he said, smiling lasciviously. "She'll do very nicely. Bring her closer."

As Julia and Rebecca jogged down the alley, the young cat burglar asked, "How do you want to play this, Julia?"
"Leave the talking to me. There may be more of them out of sight. If they don't let the girl go, I'll start shooting. You back me up if needed. Draw your pistol now."
"Sure. Do you want my phaser on stun or kill setting?"
"I'd go with kill setting. They're kidnappers and they deserve no mercy but it's your choice, Becky."

Rebecca sprinted to take up cover behind a bright orange dumpster.
Julia strode confidently towards the group surrounding the teenager.
"Hey, miss, are these folk harassing you?" she asked.

That caught everyone's attention.
"Oh, God, help me!" the teenager screamed. She looked terrified with wide eyes that darted from left to right. She was streetwise enough to know that she was in a world of shit.
The gang leader drew a Phaser Pistol from behind his back and pointed it at Julia. Bad move!
"Fuck off, bitch!" he snarled angrily. "This is none of your fucking business!"
"Wrong, asshole!" Julia replied assertively as she raised her sniper rifle to her shoulder. "I'm making it my business."

Before anyone could react, Julia snap-fired twice, going for chest hits on the young thug who had grabbed the teenager and on the gang leader. Both men crumpled to the ground in excruciating agony, vomiting messily before dying.
I first rolled for Initiative. It went exactly as I expected it would. Julia scored 27 on 7d6, Rebecca scored 19 on 5d6, the gang leader scored 15 on 4d6, the other three kidnappers rolled 11 on 3d6 (I only rolled once for all three to simplify matters) and the teenager rolled 5 on 2d6. The gang leader had a Ranged Defence of 18 and the other gang members had Ranged Defences of 14. Julia rolled a 21 and a 23 for her two attacks causing 22 points of Radiation damage to the pink-haired punk and 24 points of Radiation damage to the gang leader. Julia's Sniper Rifle caused a frightening 4d6+7 damage per hit! Under the version 1.2 rules of the N.E.W. RPG, weapons or attacks that cause psychic, radiation or sonic damage ignore SOAK scores. Good news for Julia but bad news for the kidnappers who were both armoured. The leader had 20 points of Health and his henchmen had 16 points of Health each, so both men dropped to negative Health scores, knocking them out. Without immediate medical assistance they would quickly die and that is exactly what happened.

Rebecca reacted next and she fired her Phaser pistol twice at the female kidnapper. Despite Julia's advice, she had her Phaser pistol on Stun setting. The scarred female took both hits to her upper chest and went down unconscious.
Rebecca's Pistol attack score was 5d6 and she needed to score 18 or more to hit the female kidnapper. She rolled 19 and 18 for her two shots. Her Phaser Pistol caused 2d6+3 Stun damage. She rolled totals of 13 plus 11 points of damage which was reduced to 9 and 7 points after the kidnapper's 4 points of SOAK for wearing a Leather Jacket was taken into consideration. 16 points of damage was just enough to drop the kidnapper to exactly 0 Health. Scar-face fell down unconscious.

Baldy, the only remaining kidnapper still standing, quickly realised that facing these two strangers would drastically shorten his lifespan. He turned tail and fled for his life. He was fully expecting to feel a shot between his shoulder blades but it never happened. Maybe the Good Lord, whom he never believed in until this point, was looking after him, after all.

Rebecca swiftly holstered her pistol and ran to the petrified teenager. Both woman instinctively hugged one another and as the teenager began sobbing, Rebecca soothed her with gentle words.
"There, there," she said sympathetically. "It's all over now. You're safe once more. We're not going to hurt you."
"Do you want to press charges, miss?" Julia asked after the girl had stopped crying.
"No, no, no!" the teenager quickly replied. "Please, no police involvement,"

"Runaway?" Rebecca quickly surmised.
The girl just nodded in response.
"Don't worry," Rebecca smiled reassuringly. "Julia here and I were both orphans. I grew up on the streets so I understand. I'm Rebecca but most people call me Becky. What's your name?"
"I'm Luna, Luna Covin."
"Well let's get you somewhere safe, huh?" Rebecca took hold of Luna by the hand and followed Julia back to The Ace of Spades.

Watching them leave from high up on a nearby rooftop was a veteran Drahzik Manhunter. He spoke into his communicator. "Target acquired. What are your instructions?"

The Ace of Spades Campaign - Take a Chance On Me part 4

The Semi Finals
Kimberley had most of the day to prepare for her poker semi-final. Julia and Rebecca contacted her mid-morning via communicator and asked if she'd mind ferrying them back to The Ace of Spades. Knowing it wouldn't take long, Kimberley readily agreed. Gwendoline and Jeanette stayed behind at the hotel they had rented, whilst Celeste accompanied Kimberley.
"Kimberley, we need a big favour from you!" Rebecca pleaded as soon as she saw Kimberley and Celeste approaching.
"Sure, if I can," Kimberley said cautiously. She looked at the pair quizzically. It wasn't like either of them to come asking her for a favour, so she knew this must be important.
"We need to make a large bulk purchase," Julia clarified. "The trouble is, the seller is trying to stiff us with a huge mark up. We know how good you are at haggling a bargain. We want you to buy the items we need. We'll provide the credits, we just need you to charm the seller."
"Okay," Kimberley nodded, "I can do that. So what exactly are you after?"
"Invisibility cloaks," Rebecca beamed as she clapped her hands enthusiastically. "They are so cool. We want to buy one for each of the crew plus a few spare. Fifteen in total."
"And just how much do they cost?" Kimberley asked nervously.
"12 Mega Credits each," Julia said impassively. "But the seller is asking 15 Mega Credits each."
"Hmm, that's a bit of a rip off, isn't it?" Kimberley noted. "Okay, leave it to me."
Fortunately, the store was not very far away and Kimberley persuaded the store manager (she didn't bother dealing with the assistant who had spoken to Julia and Rebecca) that she was worth a 10% discount off the RRP, not his inflated price. In total the purchases cost 162 Mega Credits instead of 180MCr or 225MCr as the greedy assistant had asked for. By earning huge cash bonuses on their last mission, Julia and Rebecca were able to afford the 15 Invisibility Cloaks.

Once the crate full of Invisibility Cloaks were loaded on to The Jack of Spades shuttle, Kimberley piloted it to the orbiting space station above New Xanadu and docked with The Ace of Spades. During the short flight, Julia and Rebecca explained just what an Invisibility Cloak could do. An Invisibility Cloak used advanced cloaking technology, refracting light and even thermal signatures, to render the wearer completely invisible. The effect was so potent that not even the faint shimmer of usual cloaking technology was present. The wearer could stand in direct line of sight of a viewer without being seen (although olfactory and auditory senses worked as normal).
In game terms, the wearer would gain a +4d6 bonus to any check made to hide.
Kimberley was convinced that they could prove to be a very prudent purchase. She just didn't realise how soon they would be needed!

Kimberley flew Celeste back to the starport ground-side at New Xanadu and together with Gwendoline and Jeanette, the foursome returned to the Casino Triomphe. Kimberley met her three semi finalist opponents for the first time that evening and once again, casino manager, James Eliot Brubaker, introduced them to the press reporters and the gathered audience. From left to right were Chitter (a nickname given to him as his real name was virtually unpronounceable). He was of a bug species and spoke through a translation unit he wore. Next up was Mal DuCham, governor of the Mercura starsector. Kimberley's friend Emerich Rach had warned her about him. He could come across as charming and polite but underneath he was an extremely odious individual. His cheap, foul-smelling deodorant won him no fans. Finally, was Skarra, a Vrussk alien whom Kimberley knew would be her biggest rival in this round. She was the one Kimberley had to beat if she was to make it to the final.

Turn 1
Chitter had CHA 3d6 plus Gambling 3d6 giving him 6d6. He had the Cheat exploit, allowing him to re-roll 1's. His LUC attribute was 3d6.
DuCham had CHA 5d6 plus Gambling 2d6 giving him 7d6. His LUC attribute was 3d6.
Skarra had CHA 4d6 plus Card Games 3d6 giving her 7d6. She also had the Cheat exploit and her LUC attribute was 3d6.
Kimberley had CHA 3d6 plus Gambling 3d6 giving her 6d6. Her Hook (enjoys gambling) let her treat any roll of 6 as an exploding dice. Her LUC attribute was 5d6.
This time, the field was far from equal. Potentially, any one could win.
Chitter rolled 6+4+4+2+2+{1}+(3)=23. Remember numbers in {} are not counted towards the total.
DuCham rolled 6+5+5+4+3+2+1=26.
Skarra rolled 6+6+5+3+2+{1}+(4)+{1}+(1)=27.
Kimberley rolled 6+(5)+6+(2)+5+3+2+1=30.
It was victory for Kimberley, which boosted her confidence no end, but it was still all to play for.

Turn 2
Chitter rolled very well with 6+5+5+3+3+{1}+(6)=28. He now had a running total of 51.
DuCham rolled poorly with 5+5+3+3+3+2+1=22. His running total was 48.
Skarra came very close to Chitter, rolling 6+5+5+4+3+2+2=27. Her running total was 54.
Kimberley had a bad game rolling 5+5+4+4+2+2=22. Her running total was 52.
Chitter won this turn but overall, they were still tightly grouped. Next turn, one of them would be eliminated.

Turn 3
"Get a grip, girl!" Kimberley thought as she prepared for the first of the three eliminating rounds. "A win would be good but please don't come last!"
Chitter had a total meltdown rolling 5+4+3+2+2+{1}+(1)=17. His running total was 68.
DuCham rolled 4+4+4+4+3+2+1=22. His running total was 70.
Skarra rolled 6+5+5+4+4+2+2=28. Her running total was 82.
Kimberley rolled 6+(4)+5+4+4+3+1=27. Her running total was 79.

Chitter was the first player to be eliminated and he was distraught. He had never expected to go out so badly. Tears streamed down his face as he exited the stage.

Turn 4
During a short break for drinks and refreshments, Skarra sidled up to Kimberley and very quietly whispered in her ear, "I don't care if you or I win this next round, just as long as DuCham comes last."
"I agree," Kimberley whispered back, "and I have a plan. Listen carefully..."
DuCham rolled 6+6+4+3+3+2+1+5-6-(3)-3=18. He had a running total of 88.
Skarra rolled 6+5+4+4+3+2+2=26. She had a running total of 108.
Kimberley rolled 6+(2)+5+5+4+2+1=25. She had a running total of 104.

Mal DuCham was soundly beaten thanks to Kimberley and Skarra ganging up on him to ensure he'd come last. Every time he matched the previous bet, the others would match him and raise. He suspected that Kimberley was bluffing (she was) but not Skarra (she was also bluffing), so eventually he folded and was out of the game. Skarra won for the second time so far but that was moot. Together the women had defeated the odious Mal DuCham. As he left the stage his face was a picture of righteous fury and anger.
In game terms, DuCham spent a LUC die to boost his CHA attribute by 1d6, giving him 8d6 to roll. However, Kimberley and Skarra each spent a LUC die to reduce his CHA by 2d6. As well as boosting your chances by adding a LUC die on a 1:1 basis, players can also use LUC dice to reduce an opponent's chances on a 1:1 basis. DuCham's LUC die helped to give him a total of 30, which would have been the highest score this turn. But Kimberley's LUC die exploded, giving her a score of -9 and Skarra rolled a -3. This meant DuCham had to reduce his score of 30 by 12 to 18, thus putting him in last place.

Turn 5 - The Final
Kimberley and Skarra were very evenly matched and both decided to go all out  to win. A place in the grand final was up for grabs with big money prizes on offer.
Skarra rolled 6+5+5+4+3+2+{1}+(4)+6+(4)+5=44. This gave her a running total of 152.
Kimberley rolled 6+(1)+5+4+3+3+1+6+(2)+6+(6+3)+3+1=50. This gave her a running total of 154.
Skarra spent her two remaining LUC dice but Kimberley spent her four remaining LUC dice, thus ensuring her victory. 

"Very well played, Miss Wells," Skarra said sincerely. "That was one of the closest fought matches I've ever played."
"Thank you, Skarra," Kimberley acknowledged. "It was a pleasure playing against you."
A combination of luck and skill had proven enough to secure her victory by the slimmest of margins.

Once again, Gwendoline was the first to congratulate Kimberley. They hugged and kissed.
"You're in the finals, Kim!" Gwendoline was genuinely ecstatic.
"I am!" Kimberley said as her eyes filled with tears of happiness. "Unbelievable, huh? I wasn't sure I could beat Skarra but I did!"
James Eliot Brubaker gave them a few moments to compose themselves before he entered the stage with Kimberley's cash prize of 50MCr.
"Many congratulations, Miss Wells," he said, "we look forward to seeing you in the finals. Same time, same place, tomorrow."
"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Kimberley responded enthusiastically.