Beta Model (Matt Mason)

[Grognardsw]

Mason and the eyeless-earless alien panther tangled. The astronaut’s lazer blasted the beast point blank, blowing a hole through its chest. Yellow blood and gore splattered everywhere.

Mason pushed the dead creature off him and rolled over, catching his breath and wiping ichor off his face.

“That was close,” commented the Valedusian Derg. “I still don’t get how it honed in on .”

An orange bird landed ten feet away from Mason.

The crashed spaceship was some 50’ away.

- M vs panther init [1d6]=5 vs [1d6]=4 M wins
- Matt lazer dam [4d6]=12
Feel free to include damage with to hit rolls.

[jemmus]

Well, a crashing spaceship makes a lot of "noise," even if the local fauna seem not to be able to hear it. A lot of energy moving in vibrational waves across the surface and through the air and water. That could drawn some creatures attention, even if it initially caused them to flee. And we're in the vicinity of the source of the wave energy, and producing minute amounts of the same. And a human body has a scent. It's strong enough that an Earth dog can differentiate between the scents of individual humans.

But... are you thinking there may be something beyond those possible causes?

Mason's training had taught him that the first task in a survival situation was to find shelter. Not food, and not even water. You could have access to both of those and still die of exposure to cold or heat. It was a tough decision, but he decided to return to the wreck of the ship for temporary shelter. Until he knew more about the local eco-system, building materials-- and predators. And perhaps there were useful things that could be salvaged from the burned wreck. A hammer, pliers, a strut for a baseball bat, a long rod for a spear, a fragment of a plate for an extemporized shield. Backup power for his laser pistol, even. All with the risk involved of being right in the spot that has likely drawn the most local attention.

Mr. Valusian Derg, I suppose you're still alert to risks that may be involved in certain activities? Even here at the edge of our galaxy?

[Grognardsw]

"That does make sense," the Valedusian Derg said. "Vibration, or energy, or scent. But there hasn't been consistency in the animals we've seen."

"Be assured, I am certainly aware of dangers here!"



Mason rummaged through the crashed ship. He found the standard issue first aid pack and small toolkit in the cockpit, but no back-up energy pack for his Astro-VII Hyper Laser pistol. Finding pieces of metal to serve as bat, spear and shield was more problematic. The back-end of the ship was in ruins and still hot. He waited a few hours, tossing dirt to speed it up, then got down to breaking, bending and pulling off the required pieces. (Roll 5d6 Str. check for each item.)

[jemmus]

[5d6]=20 [5d6]=22 [5d6]=17

[Grognardsw]

The crashed ship's mangled metal was not loose enough for Mason to tear off useful pieces.

The sun was setting.

[jemmus]

Mason looks for a defensible place within the wreck of the ship. It wouldn't do to be surprised, so a place with a view to the outside. And hopefully a place with not ingress to the rear. He supposes he be up all night on watch. But he asks, Mr. Valusian Derg, do you sleep? Or to put it more directly, will your risk detection ability alert me if I sleep?

[Grognardsw]

Mason settled in to rest against the ship, his back and left side against the mangled hull. As dusk turned to night, strange star constellations twinkled overhead. A gentle cool wind carried pleasant scents of the surrounding plain and woods. Night sounds of insects, avian hootings and distant howls could be heard.

“During your sleep, I am in a semi-repose state of awareness,” answered the Derg. “My range of detection is only about 100 if your ‘feet,’ but that should suffice.”

[Grognardsw]

[jemmus]

Thank you for the information, Mr. Valusian Derg. In that case, I'll get some rest. He lay the pistol on his lap and closes his eyes. He was in a precarious situation, but his training had taught him analyze the situation, do what you can about it, and then not worry about it. Sleep is valuable, worrying is pointless. He quickly fell into an exhausted sleep.

[Grognardsw]

Mason slept.

Something loomed above him during the night, somehow evading the Valedusian Derg's danger-sense.



Only as it passed mere feet from Mason did the Derg realize it was there.

How could that happen?

The creature moved on.

The next morning, the Derg told Mason what had happened.

"Do you know why it ignored you?" he asked.

[jemmus]

I have no idea, Mason answers. If it is deaf and blind like the other creatures, it would have probably still have sensed the rhythm of my breathing. Very curious....

Then a thought occurs to him. Maybe it was not a predator or a malevolent being. So that your danger sense didn't immediately activate. Did you get the impression that it was intelligent?

[Grognardsw]

"I can only detect danger, not intelligence," said the Derg.

The morning sun cast short shadows as the day began. Mason felt the pangs of hunger.

The astronaut looked about the countryside and found several fruit-bearing shrubs. The Derg assured him they weren't dangerous. Mason gorged himself on fruit and washed it down with water from a nearby stream.

"How long will it take for a rescue ship, if the SOS beacon worked?" the Derg asked.

There was a movement in the sky. Mason looked up. It was a bird, sailing over him, balancing easily on its gigantic wings. It reminded Mason of a vulture.

Mason continued walking. He soon found himself in the midst of 8' tree creatures. They moved about slowly.

This novel has nothing to do with our plot.

[Grognardsw]

[jemmus]

That is a good question. It would take another prototype ship to reach this place in my... or our?... lifetime. I don't know whether there is a functional one or not. Or how soon one could be made functional. And it would have to not fail like the first one did.

He keeps an eye on the vulture-like thing and observes the moving tree creatures. He wonders if there is any intelligent life on this planet.

[Grognardsw]

...he keeps an eye on the vulture-like thing... and observes the moving tree creatures. He wonders if there is any intelligent life on this planet.

As Mason peered at the birds, they abruptly turned and swooped toward him.

...and observes the moving tree creatures...

As the astronaut turned his attention to the milling tree creatures, they paused in their apparent aimless shuffling and formed a distinct circle around him.

"Hmm, what do you make a that?" the Derg thought to Mason.

[jemmus]

Mason crouches and readies his pistol for use against the bird-like things, if needed. But the zerg hasn't warned him of danger, so perhaps they don't mean harm. They're an annoyance at any rate, though. He'd rather have his full attention on the tree things encircling him.

[Grognardsw]

…he'd rather have his full attention on the tree things encircling him.

As Mason focused on the trees, the birds circled wider than flew off.

The trees formed a tighter circle however.

“There is an ambiguous danger I detect,” thought the Derg. “Unusual…”

“The birds suddenly lost interest. Do you think…”

[jemmus]

Yes, that's what I think, Mason replied. The birds didn't want to enter this circle. He puts his pistol in its holster and raises one hand in a gesture of greeting and peace. He slowly turns in place in a circle, saying calmly,
Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.
Not that the tree-creatures can understand English. Or that he can resume that they can either see or hear. But perhaps the rhythmic vibration of the words will reassure them of his good intent. Like his grandfather back on his ranch in Oklahoma said, "When you're around cattle, make some noise and talk to them. If you come up on them quietly, they'll get suspicious about your intentions. You don't want an 800-pound bull who's not very smart being suspicious of you."

[Grognardsw]

Yes, that's what I think, Mason replied. The birds didn't want to enter this circle.

“Oh, I wasn’t thinking that. But perhaps that’s true,” replied the Derg. “I was on a different track...”

As Mason circled, recalled the lyrics, and sang “Star light, Star bright...” the trees stopped the tightening of the circle around him. They started breaking up the formation.

“That seems to be working!” thought Derg encouragingly.

[jemmus]

What were you thinking about the birds, Mason asked the Derg. He switches to chanting a different nursery rhyme.
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
He suppose he ought to feel a little foolish. But there was no one observing him but the Derg and alien lifeforms at the edge of the galaxy.