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.