The Conglomerate (RPG)

The RPG titled The Conglomerate is the original HILT game and currently comprises three installments. Despite chronologically being the latest in the story, it established many of the customs, places, characters, and themes which reoccur throughout HILT. Unlike many of the the other RPGs which were played one time to fill in story gaps, The Conglomerate continues to be in active play. You know, whenever we get back around to it.

Background
In the distant future of mankind, after the nuclear apocalypse planet Earth is devastated and ruined. The only way to salvage the planet was through terraforming technology, which hastily became the #1 focus of the human race. Progress was slow until old records left behind by Doctor Raleigh Ochoa were found, the master of genetic engineering who was scorned in his time.

Utilizing his records, progress was quick and soon the entire Earth was rejuvenated. As the population grew, people's eyes inevitably turned to the stars, and soon the solar system and in turn entire Snickers galaxy had been terraformed and populated.

Just as people reached to the most distant planet in the galaxy, a new race appeared, faintly humanoid-esque creatures called the Conglomerate. They hastily conquered the Snickers galaxy and colonized the center of it, making use of the richest, most well developed worlds.

A Resistance made up of noble Shanduchan, Tsukonian, and Brewtanian warriors continued to fight valiantly against them, but after nearly a generation of oppression and defeat, it became clear their struggle was hopeless. Finally, one of the leaders of the Resistance made a bold gamble for the future. Leave behind all their weapons, strategies, and plans in a secluded place, and leave a map to it that only a human would find. Maybe a future generation, with the benefit of superior technology and numbers, could accomplish what the Resistance hoped to.

The Conglomerate: Part I
Many years after the Conglomerate took over, a new generation was born that knew nothing but life under oppression. One of these men was Anton Zerp, a descendent of a long line of noble Shanduchan commanders, who had come to a black market space station in hopes of acquiring a new spaceship for himself, and finding some out of work slobs he could hire who had been seeking a new career. After purchasing an outdated (by Conglomerate standards) alien vessel, he hired Briggs Dexmond, a notable boomerang harmonica player; Grant Sud; and PG Copper, a mechanic cyborg who had been wounded in an unexplained series of events.

After boarding the ship they located the first part of the map left behind by Resistance forces (its value having been apparently overlooked by the former alien inhabitants). Seeking the remainder of the map, they travelled to the French planet to purchase a huge quantity of wine first, where Anton also found a lovely French girl for himself.

Their next stop was Azúcar, Anton's homeworld, and the center of Sugar Worship in the galaxy. They learned of a recent outbreak of the Veasles which was endangering his mother's life. Anton also learned his grandparents had actually been the leaders of the Resistance, and motivated by this discovery, he was reinvigorated to accomplish his quest.

Briggs Dexmond took the opportunity to try to fleece the local people by attempting a special concert in honor of sugar, which unsurprisingly ended in a riot and the police being called out to arrest/execute/disembowel Briggs. Happily for the crew of Zerp's ship, they all made it out alive. Barely.

The Conglomerate: Part II
Continuing the follow the evidence, the ship landed in Montaxa, a flat lifeless desert world. Before disembarking they discovered a stowaway of sorts, a morbidly obese man by the name of Fatty McBurger, former heir (now disowned) of the McBurger corporate empire. He had been asleep for four days.

The ship had taken considerable damage during their escape from Azúcar and were seeking repairs. While PG Copper wandered off in search of parts, the rest of the crew sought more wine, as they had finished theirs off already. Anton took the opportunity to evangelize to some locals about sugar, eventually convincing one man to give in to his sugar curiosity and give it a try.

As PG attempted to negotiate for parts, he managed to anger the shopkeeper and everyone else inside, eventually leading to yet another riot. It overtook him and tragically led to his death. The rest of the crew hightailed it out, once again escaping thanks only to the rocket launchers they had found in the cargo bay.

In between all the riots, they somehow managed to find and translate the entirety of the map, and at last discovered the lost cache of Resistance equipment. Tucked away safely on an utterly hidden planet made of pure rubies, they found Resistance weapons and a fully developed plan for how to conquer the Conglomerate, including previously unknown weaknesses. On top of everything, the long lost Shanduchan Code was found. Equipped with all this, Anton and his crew were ready to reorganize the Resistance and challenge the Conglomerate once more!