Into the Volturnian Desert

[jedion357]

Dr Redd is clearly emotional and hugs everyone though at Grekka she's uncertain and awkward before trying to embrace the vrusk.

"I'll watch the supply cache and continue studying the kurabunga. Perhaps one to the previous team's members might turn up here, if so I'll turn my chroncom on and attempt to contact you. Stay safe," She admonished.

[OOC: Please double check you wiki character sheet and edit it to reflect the equipment you want your character to carry. Anything you delete from you character sheet should be added to the teams equipment list. Lets assume the robot is loaded with water.]

The team set out and spent a day picking a path out of the shard grass with the help of kurabunga scouts. A youthful kurabunga, Keeno, was spotted following the team and sternly ordered back to the village. Realizing the team would lose a day by camping the night with the scouts they pushed on after a short rest and trudged into the night on the bearing believe to lead to the wrecked pirate ship. Kahn issued salt tabs and rationed water and a tarp like shelter was improvised to keep the sun of the sleeping team as it rested during the day.

As the sun was going down J.J. was on guard and spotted movement at a nearby rise in the sand. Alerting the others that were eating dinner, the team fanned out and advanced on the dune. Cresting the hill they came upon the body of a kurabunga. It was Keeno, he was unconscious and suffering from dehydration.

Kahn had treated the young kurabunga and gave him a sedative to make him sleep.
"He'll die if we leave him so I guess someone will have to carry him," he said as he looked at J.J.

Clearly the hero worship of the youngster for J.J. meant that Keeno was going to shadow him no matter what. J.J. would just have to look out for the youngster and his native knowledge of the planet might come in handy. Kahn was sure he'd seen the youngster throwing rocks with enough skill to knock small game off a branch so he might prove useful in other ways.

They packed up, Kahn issued salt tabs and water and they set out on the bearing again hiking through the Voltrunian night.

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon glances at JJ and the Karubanda whelp, and says "Well, short help is better than no help at all."



Yes, that was an Ewok jab...for those keeping score that brings the official SW quotes up to 5.

[Terl Obar]

"I forgot how much I hate sand," Dalmar remarked to no one in particular, as they started out on their second night of travel through the desert. "It gets stuck everywhere. I sure hope it's not too far to this downed ship." He hitches up his backback and continues marching, scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon pulls the all weather blanket around so the shiny side reflects the heat off his generously furred hide. Hailing from a polar region, this was the part of the mission he dreaded.

[rattraveller]

Grekka does not personally mind the sand. Her homeworld was a rather dirty place although somewhat colder. That plus having an exoskeleton makes temperature control difficult. Still she is more worried about the robot. It is a spaceship model and not really insulated for outdoor work. She needs to keep an antennae out to make sure it does not grind and bind too much and wear out its gears.

[corkman]

Kriss will continue the pace with the group and tries to use the minimal amount of water during the march and supplementing with vitasalt pills and using shade whenever possible when they rest.

[jedion357]

After two days of traveling by night to conserve water in the early light of dawn the unmistakable glint of a reflective space ship hull is spotted. Perhaps it was the drudgery of walking through the night that caused the team to rush forward toward the craft. Its classic rocket shape looming up at a 50 degree angle supported by a sand dune where wind blown sand had accumulated against it. The midship hatch loomed open but the small two man air lock looked choked with sand. One of the external rocket magazine doors dangled open and the assault rocket magazine was empty. Above the rocket magazine doors is a roughly crafted pulley and brace that was laser welded to the hull, apparently the pirates stripped the ship of ammo and fuel if not other fittings.

The group was approaching the dune closely when Kriss thought he spotted movement and Gedion noticed the tracks and a half dozen small burrow openings in the area. No one had trampled a burrow yet but they were clearly with in the areas of the tracks.

[corkman]

Kriss raises his hand to call for a halt when he spots the movement. Unslinging his rifle and bringing the stock up to his shoulder with the barrel of the rifle pointed at a low-ready, he calls out to the group, "Hey guys! I think I just saw something move over there." Kriss points to the direction in which he thinks he saw the movement.

[rattraveller]

"OK Kriss why not have three of us check out that area and the rest move over to the wreckage. I will go with you to to look at where you saw the movement." Grekka readies her weapons and looks at the group to see who else will go.

[jedion357]

[point of clarification is that the area in the dune around the wreck directly in front of the only obvious entry is where the half dozen burrows are and the sun is coming up.
And the party has already strayed into that area a little before realizing that they did.]

[Once Far Off]

OOC: Sorry all. My only experience playing pbp is over at RPG.NET and they always run threads for a thousand posts, so I was under the impression the game had stalled. I kept checking the Crashed on Volturnus thread. DOH!

OOC: @jedion - Just caught up on everything. I believe I had taken a blast pistol on the Serena Dawn, but read about other pistols in the gear we captured. Being a beam specialist, I'd be looking for the best weapon I could. If you would be so kind as to let me know what I've been able to procure, and how much ammo, I would be appreciative.

BIC: Rigel sees the wreck and is the excited about not having to walk further from camp. He takes a moment to scan the horizon in all directions to make sure their approach is not being watched.

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon will crouch down and take a closer look at the tracks, attempting to use his environmental knowledge to discern an approximate size of the critters who left them. The burrows should also glean some information in that regard, although he will simply examine them from a distance (using his magni-goggles if needed).

[corkman]

"OK Kriss why not have three of us check out that area and the rest move over to the wreckage. I will go with you to to look at where you saw the movement." Grekka readies her weapons and looks at the group to see who else will go.

Kriss just nods to Grekka and gets ready to move up and check out the area of the movement.

[jedion357]

[OOC- I think I remember Shadow shack previously specifying his character as taking up the rear, Not sure of that but I think that's correct so I'm assuming he's tail end charlie in the marching order. Grekka has said she was going to keep several dozen facets of at least one eye on JJ so That puts her at the back and since she's keeping facets from the other eye on the robot its there too. JJ was carrying Keno for a time and despite his high physical stats that wears on you a little and so I'm assuming he's been in the middle of the marching order with Kahn and they have hit it off together so that makes sense plus its logical for the Dr to be in the middle. This puts the rest at the front half or so of the order with Kriss and Rigel the most likely candidates for taking point and Dalmar just behind them.]

Gideon was considering voicing a warning to Kriss and Rigel who had strayed into the area with a denser concentration of tracks and was mentally noting the burrow openings when he saw the small lizard/serpent like creature dash/slither from a burrow and strike at Kriss. Rigel jumped as well as a second snake/lizard creature sallied from a different burrow. Both men drew weapons to respond but the little creatures evaded back to separate burrows. Something intuitive occurred to Gideon from his vantage point, the creatures were territorial.

Gideon began shouting, "Back, get back, they're territorial, back away from the burrows."

Everyone backed up a few meters and the two little creatures hissed menacingly from the openings of separate burrows but not the ones they sallied from. No one sustained any harm but the pattern of the burrows and the tracks made it clear that the little creatures were by default standing guard on the hatch to the pirate vessel.

[Shadow Shack]

After retreating from the burrows, Gideon sheathes the katana and catches his breath. "Reminds me of Romp-Wats, I used to bullseye them from my T-16 back on my homeworld. They weren't much bigger than two meters." Regaining his composure once again, he says to the group, "Anyone sporting any extra holes? Might have the doc take a look at you. We probably don't want to experiment with any possible alien venom at this stage of the game..."



SW Quotes: 6

[corkman]

Kriss has the living crap scared out of him when the reptile-like creature comes out and tries to attack him when they get close to the ship. His first instinct is correct in trying to shoot the thing but, his safety was still set to 'ON' and he couldn't fire the rifle in time. Fortunately for Rigel and himself they weren't scratched and were able to get out of there unharmed. "Damnit! Those things are all over the place up there! WE got to find another way in unless we smoke them out or something!"

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon nods with agreement over Kriss' words. "Pity we didn't bring along any of those Karubanda gliders..."

[rattraveller]

Grekka holsters her weapons and turns to the group. "Gentlebeings I know we are in a hurry to find answers and a way off this planet but I would like to suggest slowing down for a moment. We are under no pressure or immediate threat. I believe this would be a good time for those of us originally hired to examine the fauna do so now while the rest of us stand guard and prepare a meal. Do a have any seconds?" Vrusk Trade House rule #7 Everyone to their part and every job will get done.

[Once Far Off]

"Agreed." Rigel replies. "Perhaps we can smoke them out? Anyone have a smoke or doze grenade?"

Rigel scans the area for anything that he can use to make a fire.

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon scans the area around the downed vessel. "I don't know, there's a lot of burrows for the few doze grenades we're carrying. And we're still not sure if they react to sound or vibrations or whatever. Seems like a long shot to lob grenades." Gideon will look for something useless to lob toward one of the closer burrows to test his theory, such as a rock or an expended ammunition clip.