Consequences

I'm wrestling with a bit of an issue in the aftermath of Session 17.  Specifically, the party was far more direct in their actions this time, and in a public enough way to draw the direct attention and ire of the authorities on Terra.  I really can't let them get away with the level of violence they inflicted and still have any real credibility to the threat that TerraSec represents to them.  They are no longer bit-players in TerraSec's fight against the resistance; they are now Public Enemy Number One.

Worse, Simon and Clark both were bleeding heavily at the site, and nobody cleaned up the stains afterwards; TerraSec has a mountain of DNA evidence, video confirming that the DNA belongs to the attackers, and likely the means to match that to Simon and Clark once they sort it out.  They're going to be coming for the party, and when they do so, they're going to do it with overwhelming force.  I'm trying to find a way out of this that preserves TerraSec's authority, but doesn't terminate the campaign outright.

My first response is that the whole party may have to go into hiding; Simon and Clark become fugitives, and are forced to abandon the ranch and their lives.  This seems reasonable, and will have serious fallout for the ComStar party as well, who are just now starting to rely on the improvements they made to the ranch to maintain their gear.  Before I make that leap, however, I want to give it a great deal of thought.