Meet the Kurrabunga

[jedion357]

[OOC: I have never liked the the original presentation of the roller creature so i'm going to describe them differently as having a sort of pronged tusks that the use to roll a boulder that becomes encased in plant juice and shards and becomes a ball they roll with these tusk to crush the shard grass, allowing them to eat the juice plant center. its a departure from cannon material but ...]

The day after the feast the kurabunga chief has an audience with a number of the team and grills Dr. Redd. He's adamant that the sky demons are the team's people and that that since they are our people we need to stop their kidnapping of the kurabunga as none of the kidnappees have ever returned.

Brogga, the leader of the scouts/hunters that joined in with the team in the fight with the pirates invites Gedion and Kahn to go hunting but Kahn demurs desiring to pursue something else. Gedion quickly discovers that the invite to go hunting is really a ruse to see if the kurabunga can get him to fly again. He decides to humor them because he's likely to get to scan the creatures they hunt to add to his environmental report if he every gets to file one. A dozen hang gliders are brought out and there is much jostling and competition against the hunters to be the ones to fly. Gideon launches from a 50 m high platform and quickly learns that the sunlight striking the shard grass is magnified by the glass like properties of the grass's external casing which results in warming of the ground which in turn results in frequent thermals. The hunting party is able to gain quite a bit of height and range some distance from the village. They spot a herd of pachyderm like rollers and kill a young bull from the air. Gideon find that despite the thermals giving him a sustained flight that his pataguim does not have the same lift surface as the hang gliders and his limbs tire enough by the conclusion of the hunt he needed to land to rest. He took sever scans of the dead creature and observed as 20 of the kurabunga butchered the creature (2 per glider and 2 gliders stayed aloft- one as a spotter and the other used thermals to gain height and return to the village. Though the kurabunga hunters are greatly impressed with Gideon's ability to glide naturally they do joke and tease him that he cannot do what they do after butchering the roller; which is dismantling the gliders to turn them into traviolis for dragging butchered meat down the path created by the roller heard back toward the forest. The process takes most of the day and he returns with the hunters at nightfall.

Gekka spends time interrogating the captured pirate. It does not go well as he is from the planet Kdikit. What she does learn is:
1) no one knows the Sky Devil's true name
2) the pirates have 3 small ships and one that is referred to as a "cruiser"
3) they have 3 outposts a landing facility, a 'town' known as Slave City and that the drop buildings from the 1st Survey Expedition had had their robotic drop module activated and dropped from the ship even as the pirates were boarding it. The pirates were force to occupy them where they landed or abandon them altogether. They opted to man them as an outpost that facilitates monitoring the kurabunga and the desert riders.

Kriss scouts the forest around the village and is shadowed by a juvenile kurabunga. He has a close call with a barrel shaped creature that is tri-latteraly symetrical with 3 eyes and there legs and a segmented tail coming out of the top of its head that is tipped with a spear like point. the young kurabunga actually heard it coming and urged him to take cover.

Rigel, Dalmar, JJ and Kahn spend their time with the chief's audience and talking to elders. Kahn challenges JJ to a sparring match and his superior stamina leaves Kahn winded by the end. Kahn also brings the leather scroll written by Grod (the 1st surevey team's dralasite member) to the attention of the team abut the ship that landed in the desert south of the village. Grod's guess was that the ship hyper ignited its atomic engine and had to make an emergency landing in the desert possibly a 100 km beyond the shard glass.

[Shadow Shack]

Gideon is humored by the glider flight, marveling at how a primitive society can do so much with so little...more so when he is unable to figure the transformation from glider to travois. He smiles at the taunts, bows, and simply leaps/glides to a lower branch of the Bachanda forest to escape the awkward situation. He starts to wonder if the Karubanda might have some distant relation to the Yazirians...feh, he's an environmentalist not a biologist. Still, it might be an idea to pass along to Kahn.

Gideon heads back to the village, eager to sample the meat from these beasts. Hopefully the primitives are fluent in the art of medium rare...

[AntGibbs]

If JJ hears about glider flights he will definitely want to take a flight. If another hunt is scheduled he'll love to go.

JJ stays away from the captured pirate on purpose. He is afraid that he will bury his axe in the Pirate's face. He does not want to be cruel. He wants to be fierce, but not cruel. Not take shots at guys who can't fight back. It is not honorable, in Johnny's mind.

JJ will again work on his physical skills.

OOC: I'll have to review the points expenditure rules again. I'd like to put my points in STR and STA unless it is totally futile.

[jedion357]

Kahn noticed J.J.'s avoidance of the pirate (yazirian) prisoner lest he give vent to his anger and it forced Kahn to realize that he was avoiding the pirate prisoner but for other reasons. Late last night Gekka had related what she had learned from her interrogation. Kahn noted that she had not brought up the telol drug which both he and Dr. Redd had been carrying.

Telol was a broad spectrum truth serum that worked on all four of the space faring sapient species of the Frontier. Some yazirians found the idea of forcing another yazirian to tell the truth with a drug distasteful. Kahn like the rest of the doctors from his clan never stocked telol in their med kits but the survey command had inspected his med kit and required that it be fully restocked. He had somewhat intentionally left the interrogation to Gekka and figured that if Gekka wanted telol applied she would obtain the drug from Dr. Redd.

If the team did nothing to intercede, the kurabunga were going to execute this prisoner within a day or two and the manner of execution was not an honorable one for a yazirian. It weighed heavily on Kahn's sha-ka (spirit/soul); the thought of doubling stripping a yazirian of honor by drugging him and then seeing him be garroted to death. His own loss of honor was a fresh sting in his sha-ka. After finishing his morning meditations in he declined Johny's invitation to go hunting and gliding and sent him off to watch the hunters reassemble the poles from the hang gliders and re-stretch the supple skin over the frame. Kahn new the joy of flight and suspected that J.J. would enjoy himself.

At the hut where the prisoner was being kept Kahn sat down across from the pirate. The pirate sneered at him.

Kahn softly began to recite the Creed of Yazira, it was possible that the yazirian before him might be from a clan of old school conservatives and not a practitioner of the Family of One's beliefs but the warrior was soon to die from his misdeeds and he might like to have a priest attend him at this time to find some measure of absolution. Admittedly Kahn was a defrocked priest but probably the closest thing to an actual yazirian priest withing light years.

“We are one family. We are the children of Yazira. The Spirit of Yazira is a flame within the sha-ka of every yazirian. Yazira will endure because we endure. We will make Yazira's name great among the stars."

Halfway through the creed the other yazirian began to mumble the words and his sneer left his face.

"What's your name?"
"Gak Boulley"
Kahn smiled a little, "I too am gak. Kahn gak Harkanon."

The adding of the work gak to a yazirian name meant the yazirian in question was outcast and stripped of honor.

Kahn talked with the pirate at length learning some of his life and story but after an hour he brought the interview to a head, "The creed says, 'Yazira will endure because we endure. We will make Yazira's name great among the stars.' but you my brother are not going to endure because the kurabunga mean to execute you for crimes committed against them by the Red Devil pirates. You may not have even committed the crimes in question but you will die for them non the less because you bear the clan mark of the pirates."

The yazirian pirate only nodded, this principle of justice was very yazirian in nature.

"Further, your path since becoming 'gak' has not been one that makes name of Yaziria great among the stars. Thus you will die shorn of honor strangled by a garrote and I fear that your sha-ka may not be welcomed at the Tree of Yazira. No one will sing your song and you will be forgotten."

Kahn was ruthlessly hitting major points from the Honor Code of Innesti painting this pirate a picture of hell that chilled the sha-kas of stout warriors for centuries. He was not done, the priest in him was going to offer a chance at absolution to this wayward warrior.

"Before I studied to be a priest I was a doctor of clan Harkanon from Guna Garu and while I, like the rest of my clan find the use of telol dishonorable I will administer it to you if my team votes to do so. You will give up the secrets of the pirates. They will be taken from you like the life blood of the lask is taken from it in the clan honor hunts. Then the kurabunga will kill you. Is this how you wish die?"

"No."

"Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of shame. In the time of clan wars those that wished to regain their honor were allowed to charge the other clan first while their clan looked on. If they fought and died well they were judged to have regained their honor and their name was restored and they were sung by the clan at clan gatherings after that. A few fought so well and bravely that their deeds inspired their clan to battle rage and their clan charged in and won a great victory. Some of these gak even lived to enjoy their restoration of honor. This will not be the case for you as I have declared the pirates my life enemy and I am honor bound to kill you. However, if you are willing to tell us all you know about the pirates I will negotiate with the chief to change your manner of death to single combat armed with a blade in your hand. After I kill you I will then sing your song to Yazira and implore the One Spirit to guide you to the one tree. You will not die dishonorably and your song will be sung. Should I ever return to the yazirian colonies I will also go before the council of clans on your planet and declare the song of your death."

"The Red Devils have been my clan these many years since I lost my honor, should I betray them?"

"Do you honestly believe that the path of the pirates is an honorable one? Will they sing your song to Yazira? Will they declare your death to the council of clans that your honor might be restored and your name sung again amongst your clan?"

Kahn was offering him heaven and an afterlife. He was going to die anyway and they could take the information he knew if they wanted with the telol drug why not recover his honor? There were none among the pirates who would even bother to sing his song let alone go before the council of clans on Yast.

"If you will do this then I will tell all, and I know the current code to disable the electric fences surrounding the outposts and town. Only the ship captains and the Red Devil know the codes for access to the landing field."

"I will negotiate with the chief and talk to my team."

[OOC: what says the team should Kahn provide this pirate with a chance at absolution and an afterlife?
No doubt the chief will drive a hard bargain but we are lugging a lot of stuff and could lighten the load by trading things to the kurabunga that are just weighing us down.

I still didn't get to the record keeping I need to do but will likely get that done tonight after work.]

[corkman]

Kriss scouts the forest around the village and is shadowed by a juvenile kurabunga. He has a close call with a barrel shaped creature that is tri-latteraly symetrical with 3 eyes and there legs and a segmented tail coming out of the top of its head that is tipped with a spear like point. the young kurabunga actually heard it coming and urged him to take cover.

Kriss decides to take a walk away from the village to get a lay of what's around the village. He thinks it better to get away from the interrogation that is going to happen with the captured Pirate and doesn't need to watch that, whatever they may decide to do. Kriss slings his rifle and checks his pistol before leaving and notices the young Kurabunga following him. Kriss pays attention to him so much that he is almost assaulted by the creature as he now looks for the nearest cover. The warning had probably saved his life and he remained still until whatever it was passed, then emerged from his cover with a smile to the juvenile local for saving him. Kriss waves him over to talk, if he trusts him.

[Shadow Shack]

OOC: what says the team should Kahn provide this pirate with a chance at absolution and an afterlife?

Gideon spent some quality time field stripping the automatic rifle and cleaning it while the roller meat was being cut and prepped for the feast. He could barely hear Kahn's voice in a nearby hut as the pirate was being interrogated. He didn't pay close attention but he was getting the gist of things. When Kahn emerged, Gideon nodded to him. "Impressive." He slapped the magazine home and propped the rifle against the wall. "I've never been one for religion but that was rather touching. Interesting technique, I'd be wiping off the brass knuckles right about now and no doubt be nowhere near obtaining anything useful."

[jedion357]

Gideon is humored by the glider flight, marveling at how a primitive society can do so much with so little...more so when he is unable to figure the transformation from glider to travois. He smiles at the taunts, bows, and simply leaps/glides to a lower branch of the Bachanda forest to escape the awkward situation. He starts to wonder if the Karubanda might have some distant relation to the Yazirians...feh, he's an environmentalist not a biologist. Still, it might be an idea to pass along to Kahn.

Gideon heads back to the village, eager to sample the meat from these beasts. Hopefully the primitives are fluent in the art of medium rare...

"He's dead and he knows it, chalk it up to the psych and priest training, I just figured that tossing a drowing warrior a life preserver and he might just cling to it. Besides, I understand what it feels like to be outcast and stripped of honor. My offer to him is not a light one for me and he knows that too. The impact of a life enemy going before the council of clans to declare the song of a vanquished enemy will bare great weight and will likely restore his honor. So now if he helps us I will do this for him as difficult as it will be for me to do. If he decieves us then I have an out because in my offer I only go before the council of clans if I return to the yazirian colonies

[jedion357]

[Smart phone is not cooporating-the following is the rest of Kahns reply to Gideon] If his information does not ring true then I simply never make the trip to Araks and I'll have kept my word. But I think he will embrace this last chance for honor, none of our race would rellish the death he faces. "

[rattraveller]

After briefing the team on what she found out from the prisoner Grekka (notice the R) turns her attention to JJ.

"Now we have a another one from the pirate group. My team this person has given us a very interesting and entertaining story about his arrival among us. It however seems to me to be a story which belongs more in one of those holovids you see on late night trivid. You have not offered us any proof of your story other than a set of ID tags. If I may propose a more reasonable story. You and your lover, the pirate captain, tortured and killed that poor unfortunate together and you took his ID tags as a souvenior. You had a falling out with your lover and decided to kill him and saw your chance when we gained the upper hand in the fight. Now you are going along with us until you can escape this planet."

"Perhaps a simplier explanation? You saw the combat going badly and like most opportunist criminals, betrayed your team to jion the winning team. Whichever is the case the current point is why should we trust you to come along with us, when the sensible thing to do is to leave you here so these good beings and pick you up when we leave the planet and can verify what you say."

"Team what do you think?"

[AntGibbs]

JJ looks at them for a long, long time gathering his thoughts and words, then he says:

"Look here, don't you ever put John Henry Johnson III in the same sentence as some funky ass pirates. Johnny went out looking for a job and instead they captured me and Old Zeek and put us to work cruelly. They shot old Zeek right in front of Johnny's eyes. Right in front. Then after that they tried to push me around but JJ managed to escape and the blood splattered Drasalite pistol is right here to prove it."

He points to it.

"The next pirate asshole got this shoved through his ribs and an axe chop in his chest. His chroncom is own JJ's wrist. Before all that is holy I will make sure these Pirates pay either by my hand, your hand, or the authorities I really don't give a shit. But if you ever spin some stupid story about me being down with the pirates or having some pirate lovers we can get down right here and now, chump."

JJ spreads his arms out. "Your choice, believe it or but either way I don't give two shits because I know where I stand. I fought on your side against the Pirates, don't forget. But again, I ain't no damn pirate!"

[rattraveller]

"Getting angry will not help your situation. The pistol and chronocom only prove you were with the pirates. NOT how you felt about them. All that can be settled later. The question is why should we allow you to accompany us on the next part of our quest to return to Pale and bring Justice to these pirates and those they have injured. I say again cursing and angry posturing does not help your case, it only shows an emotional state not condusive to good team work. What is your proof you will be a good member of our team?"

[AntGibbs]

"The only person I see posturing is you. My man over here (pointing to Kahn) isn't questioning my heart. Old Zeek didn't question my heart. Who the hell are you to question it?

"Johnny has been clear with you. John Henry Johnson III ain't no pirate. And what are you, audition master? You casting for a part? You going to give JJ an aptitude test? Man please. You bore me. JJ knows what JJ has to do.

"They killed Old Zeek right in front of my face and they tortured and hurt many others in front of me. I'm getting these pirates with you, or without you.

"As far as being a good member of your team.....what are you the leader? What does John Henry Johnson III have to prove to you as far as being a teammate. JJ is a trained soldier and a member of many units. JJ sure knew how to help you in that fight when you needed, and it was done without the expectation of nothing in return.

"Don't question JJ's heart or usefulness again, man. Now, are we doing something about these stinking pirates or are you going to accuse JJ of something else?"

[AntGibbs]

".....and it was done *with* the expectation of nothing in return"

OOC: Please note the correction.

[rattraveller]

"Switching to personal attacks against me again does not help your case. Since you still refuse to offer any evidence of good intentions then know I vote to leave you here while we decide our next steps. Of course I am a good team worker and will accept the desires of the team in this matter."

Turning away from JJ, Grekka addresses the group, what is your desire in this matter. Keep JJ with us or leave him behind under the watch of our new friends?"

[jedion357]

Kahn waits out the exchange between Gekka and JJ. It would seem that Gekka's past police work has made her as skeptical as police in any culture. Kahn had not automatically assumed that preferring to take the vrusk at face value and not automatically assume she was just like police or inquisitors he had known. Perhaps police forces train for professional paranoia the galaxy over as just part and parcel of police training. Kahn could not be sure of that but he felt he was sure of J.J.s heart. As a yazirian of science he had relied on logic but in his psych priestly training he had relied on intuition. He had even learned to trust his intuition. It was telling him that J.J. was on the level. However, he did not think that Gekka was going to trust Kahn's intuition in this.

"J.J., I trust your heart and will till you give me a reason not to. However, Gekka is a former police officer and it seems that it matters not what your species is but that police the galaxy over train for professional paranoia and she is looking for an objective reason to trust you not a subjective one and simply having a team vote is going to be a subjective decision at this point. I believe I may have an answer. If JJ arrived at our crash site with the pirates than I would say that Gekka's right to not trust and we should probably bind him. However if he did arrive by escape pod then the pod is sitting there in the forest to be examined as an objective piece of evidence. To anticipate Gekka's objection it does not prove much concerning JJ's motives but it would not be logical for the pirates to send a plant via escape pod due to the fact that the algorithms that control their landing program are only concerned choosing a safe landing spot not seeking out a specific landing site. If the pirate had hatched a plan to insert a plant in this manner they certainly timed it wrong and should have waited till he joined the party so he could shoot us in the back. Escape pods have the same transponder that life boats have to signal for rescue. Lets have Dalmar kit bash a directional detector to listen for the signal and send a scouting party. If the escape pod is there and its landing program is unmodified then we give JJ a chance. All it will take is roughly 5 days to investigate and the party will need a techie to examine the pod. I'm sure the kurabunga will loan us a scout or two. Would this be enough, Gekka?"

[ooc: sorry guys I would have posted more but we've had some excitement here in boston and my catering gig involves a state contract which means we feed the National Guard when they activate which has required some 2:30 & 4:30 am mornings but will have a story advance tomorrow as well as the record keeping that needs to be done]

[rattraveller]

OOC Forgot about the escape pod. I was waiting for some to say "ask the prisoner" but we could go check that out.

[AntGibbs]

JJ looks annoyed.

"So you're gonna leave JJ here on the word of some cop? Really? I told you what happened, and that should be enough. I fought with you, and I fought for you. What else must I do?"

[AntGibbs]

((And yes, JJ was so annoyed he slipped up and used 'I' which makes him even more angry))

[AntGibbs]

And JJ continues, "And if you think you're going to abandon JJ here because you feel some stupid need to verify my story then that is your problem. JJ is not sitting here on his hands while you guys go take care of the Pirates. They killed my friend right in front of me, and they are going down for that. You're not throwing that party without JJ. Forget it.

"And what is the self-righteous junk from you anyway? From my experience good teammates didn't brag on it out loud, nor did they try get all bossy with everyone. We don't have time for some stupid investigation to prove JJ's merits.

"Get out some Telol if you don't believe me......but how you treatin' JJ will not be forgotten."

[rattraveller]

"Ranting does not help your case. If you haven't listened to our story because you are constantly going on about yours then here is something you should have caught on to. WE the team who was brought together for a mission, interviewed, checked and then had to fight together to escape with our lives twice so far were betrayed by someone. The pirates did not just show up at the entry of what is supposed to be an uninhabited system. Someone told them we were coming. You show up and shot one pirate down. Again my questions are reasonable. You would be asking them if our positions were reversed. The only one being self righteous here is you and your constant abuse of Pan-Gal pronouns."

"Besides what is the problem with staying here? You supposedly have had your revenge against the one who kidnapped you and killed your friend. Do you not think we will send help back for you?"