0003 Pickup in the Sticks!

[Eris]

OOC: As an aside. I see that there have been 2100+ views of Pickup in the Sticks so far. I wonder if that's all us or if we have lurkers?

If there are any lurkers out there, welcome, and I hope you're enjoying our little adventure as much as I am. Oh, and I'm still open to another player or two to joining if any would like to do so.

[terrymixon]

OOC: As an aside. I see that there have been 2100+ views of Pickup in the Sticks so far. I wonder if that's all us or if we have lurkers?

If there are any lurkers out there, welcome, and I hope you're enjoying our little adventure as much as I am. Oh, and I'm still open to another player or two to joining if any would like to do so.

We promise not to feed you to the worms. Probably.

[joertexas]

OOC: As an aside. I see that there have been 2100+ views of Pickup in the Sticks so far. I wonder if that's all us or if we have lurkers?

If there are any lurkers out there, welcome, and I hope you're enjoying our little adventure as much as I am. Oh, and I'm still open to another player or two to joining if any would like to do so.

We promise not to feed you to the worms. Probably.

I promise no such thing...

[terrymixon]

OOC: As an aside. I see that there have been 2100+ views of Pickup in the Sticks so far. I wonder if that's all us or if we have lurkers?

If there are any lurkers out there, welcome, and I hope you're enjoying our little adventure as much as I am. Oh, and I'm still open to another player or two to joining if any would like to do so.

We promise not to feed you to the worms. Probably.

I promise no such thing...

LOL!

[Tiglath]

Worms for the worm god!

Er... a person likely to feed you to the worms would say...

Fhtagn... ???

[Tiglath]

Sigrun digs around in Engineering and finds a toolkit with handheld welding and etching, as well as some other metal working, tools. She also finds Mechanical and an Electronics toolkits, some spare hull plates, several battery packs, and an automatic pistol with a full magazine taped under a console...and the desiccated remains of a man crumpled still seated in a chair smashed against against the forward bulkhead. It looks like the chair broke free in the crash and kept going when the ship suddenly stopped, his death would have been instantaneous from the look of his injuries...well, you can't tell much as the remains are dried to a husk, but the bones all are broken into shards.

Unfazed by the dead engineer but not wanting to loot any personal items carrying his obviously cursed luck Sigrun leaves him be. She checks the action and load on the discovered automatic and then instinctively stuffs it under her ballistic vest. She then bags and drags her smaller finds into a pile near the hatch and advises her new comrades (most likely Donovan and Bob) of the items too heavy for her to move so that all can be moved with the cargo handler and loaded/looted. She pockets an etching awl for her own use. Once she has achieved her primary looting goals she roots about until she finds the compartment's emergency/damage control tools. Her vulpine smile accompanies another discovery and the exultation "Já, øx min!"

Sigrun has fished around in Engineering and now is getting bored with the lack of anything to do.

She has taken to using a utility knife she found to cut patterns into the hard plastic of the consoles, just patterns, but.... Stepping back and looking at them she sees wings and snakes, not winged snakes, but something winged and not really snakes either more like the monster she saw in her dreams. The drawings etched into the plastic have moved across the whole console, wings and snakes, wings and snakes, always the wings are getting closer and closer to the snakes. She snaps the utility knife closed, time to leave this place!

She goes to find Sigrun. "I need to get back to the ship right now. Please come with me."

Sigrun, suddenly catapulted out of her fugue state by Zaki's arrival, instinctively rounds on Zaki bearing (Zaki's) automatic in her left hand while in her right she wields a red coloured rescue axe. Zaki notes that (quite possibly due to being left unattended with sharp objects) Sigrun now has full mobility/dexterity with her left hand while her modified cast now also appears to act as a recoil brace for the handgun. However, dropping her instinctive aggression Sigrun immediately gestures at her vandalism/art carvings and declares "I had a vision of wings and snakes - the dragon is coming! We should leave now if we can".

[helvorn]

Donovan glances over his shoulder and then turned back to working even more quickly. He will use a cutting torch instead of fancy tools if need be to speed things up.

[joertexas]

Sigrun, suddenly catapulted out of her fugue state by Zaki's arrival, instinctively rounds on Zaki bearing (Zaki's) automatic in her left hand while in her right she wields a red coloured rescue axe. Zaki notes that (quite possibly due to being left unattended with sharp objects) Sigrun now has full mobility/dexterity with her left hand while her modified cast now also appears to act as a recoil brace for the handgun. However, dropping her instinctive aggression Sigrun immediately gestures at her vandalism/art carvings and declares "I had a vision of wings and snakes - the dragon is coming! We should leave now if we can".

Zaki tilts her head, glaring at Sigrun in annoyance for a moment. She sighs and turns for the hatch. "Let's go."

[Tiglath]

Zaki tilts her head, glaring at Sigrun in annoyance for a moment. She sighs and turns for the hatch. "Let's go."

Sigrun accompanies Zaki watching the skies as they exit the wreck. Although wounded and wary Sigrun stops and still "double armed" brandishes her weapons as she screams her defiance at the sky "Komdu dreki! Ég get ekki barist við töfra þína en ég mun berjast við þig!"

She waits then states "It seems I have a different Urðr ... ah... wyrd... fate!" stowing her weapons she joins Zaki in returning to the ship.

On route she adds the concession "I am sorry I modified your cast but I am not currently at my best and so I couldn't hope to fight a dragon one handed...". She then adds "You did fine work. You heal and make people better. I don't think I do enough of that... I think I am built for fighting dragons".

(OOC: Swordy Trans Service: Come on dragon! I can't fight your magic but I will fight you!)

[joertexas]

Zaki tilts her head, glaring at Sigrun in annoyance for a moment. She sighs and turns for the hatch. "Let's go."

Sigrun accompanies Zaki watching the skies as they exit the wreck. Although wounded and wary Sigrun stops and still "double armed" brandishes her weapons as she screams her defiance at the sky "Komdu dreki! Ég get ekki barist við töfra þína en ég mun berjast við þig!"

She waits then states "It seems I have a different Urðr ... ah... wyrd... fate!" stowing her weapons she joins Zaki in returning to the ship.

On route she adds the concession "I am sorry I modified your cast but I am not currently at my best and so I couldn't hope to fight a dragon one handed...". She then adds "You did fine work. You heal and make people better. I don't think I do enough of that... I think I am built for fighting dragons".

(OOC: Swordy Trans Service: Come on dragon! I can't fight your magic but I will fight you!)

Zaki glances at Sigrun as she turns the air raft to approach the open cargo bay hatch. "If you can detect them, the reverse is probably true. You may try not antagonizing them. When we get down, I need to check on Karcsi, the man in the autodoc. Then, I need to get back to collect the others."

[Eris]

OOC: Challenging, didn't do it, but eventually luck did...

Dragon: [1d6]=3 Snake: [1d6]=1

As Zaki rounds the wreaked ship and begins approaching The New Chance...

Zaki: [2d6+2]=10+2=12 Sigrun: [2d6+3]=10+3=13

...both see something to their left. The sand is mounding into a ridge and rapidly approaching them. Suddenly, a head emerges from the sand! It is about 2 feet across and it's open mouth contains sharp teeth that glitter in the lowering sunlight. Quickly the snake's 20 foot long body emerges from the sand dune about 30 feet from the air/raft and this creature...it looks like the one that was in the wreak...rears back readying a strike!

Zaki will be at a disadvantage if she tries to shoot at this creature, but she is driving so she has other options. Sigrun isn't surprised and she is armed. Both of you get an action before the monster.

Up on the Turret, Donovan gets an immediate sense of danger and knows it is behind and to his right! He sees Bob stand up and pick up the shotgun that has been next to him as he worked and start looking around, "Something's up!" he states as he scans the surroundings.

Flighty, still poking around in the ship gets the feeling that the creature in the cargo hold has come alive again...doesn't make sense, but that's what he feels!

Karcsi, still dreaming in the Autodoc, There is nyoka here! Karcsi reaches out and a mkuki appears in his hand! In his dream he runs around a boulder and sees a huge nyoka rearing it's head preparing to strike at the wanawake tending the mbuzi! He must act!

Mkuki = spear; Nyoka = snake; Wanawake = women; Mbuzi = goats

[terrymixon]

Flighty, still poking around in the ship gets the feeling that the creature in the cargo hold has come alive again...doesn't make sense, but that's what he feels!

He'll draw his pistol and race there. Seeing it still dead (hopefully) he'll look outside, ready for trouble.

Flighty

[joertexas]

Zaki will be at a disadvantage if she tries to shoot at this creature, but she is driving so she has other options. Sigrun isn't surprised and she is armed. Both of you get an action before the monster.

Zaki reefs the air raft into a steep chandelle away from the creature at max acceleration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandelle#

[Tiglath]

Sigrun jams a leg forward to brace herself inside the passenger compartment and draws her borrowed sidearm. Aiming for the creature's head she fires the autopistol attempting to put the whole contents of the magazine into her target.

[helvorn]

Donovan will grab his rifle and look out for a threat outside.

[ateno]

Karcsi, still dreaming in the Autodoc, There is nyoka here! Karcsi reaches out and a mkuki appears in his hand! In his dream he runs around a boulder and sees a huge nyoka rearing it's head preparing to strike at the wanawake tending the mbuzi! He must act!

Mkuki = spear; Nyoka = snake; Wanawake = women; Mbuzi = goats

Karcsi hefts his spear, realizes it is shorter than he is used to and decides to rush, waving his free arm around and when he gets close to the strike zone of the snake, drawing its attention, he sidesteps and uses the short shaft and head to strike thru the snake and fling it to the brush.

Snake Hockey

Either way Karcsi will interpose his body between him and the woman and goat.

Karcsi

[Eris]

Sigrun jams a leg forward to brace herself inside the passenger compartment and draws her borrowed sidearm. She knows in an instant that the medic driving is going to turn the air/raft away, hard, and adjusts her aim as she fires. Aiming for the creature's head she fires the autopistol attempting to put the whole contents of the magazine into her target.

Her first shot grazes the creature as it lunges, but her second hits it cleanly!

Zaki reefs the air raft into a steep chandelle away from the creature at max acceleration. The air/raft banks up and around, it's not meant to be flown like this, but Zaki pulls it off! She has the air/raft's rear toward the 'snake' now, does she fly away or continue around to give Sigrun another shot?

As the raft turns Sigrun loses sight of the 'snake', but she is sure she put that second shot right through one of it's eyes!

Whipping around with an audible hiss from the pain in her ribs, Sigrun faces the back of the air/raft seeing the 'snake' and firing again! The 'snake' is looking at the ground, but she puts another round into it, this time the side of it's head!

Sigrun sees the snake strikes toward the empty ground!

Karcsi hefts his spear, realizes it is shorter than he is used to and decides to rush, waving his free arm around and when he gets close to the strike zone of the snake, drawing its attention, he sidesteps and uses the short shaft and head to strike thru the snake and fling it to the brush.

Karcsi's short spear goes right through the "snake's" head and into the brush behind it. Nyoka rears back and Karcsi feels it's squeal of pain and anger as it prepares to strike at him again!

Either way Karcsi will interpose his body between him and the woman and goat. Reaching back, Karcsi finds another spear in his hand as he faces off with the now seriously hurt and seriously angry Nyoka!

To Sigrun it looks like the 'snake' is striking at something on the ground, but there is nothing there, nor where it focuses after making its strike. The air/raft's movement means Sigrun has to turn again as she attempts to keep the 'snake' in her sight and again her ribs shoot pain through her body bringing involuntary tears to her eyes as she does.

Creature (36-16-9-6=5)

[Eris]

Bob goes up, through the turret and looks out at the surrounding area while Donovan grabs his rifle and moves to follow Bob to look out for a threat outside. They hear the sound of the air/raft suddenly go from a hummmm to a roar and see it leap up into the air in a banking turn. Behind it, on the sands, another of those creatures has emerged and is striking at the empty ground, as Zaki and Sigurn, in the air/raft, fly in a banking motion away from it. Sigrun is twisted around in her seat firing at the 'snake.'

Flighty draws his pistol and races to the Cargo Hold. Seeing the still dead creature, he runs over to the hole in the hull to look outside, ready for trouble. From his vantage point he doesn't see anything, but he hears the air/raft's grav lifters go to max with a roar from just outside his view to his right. Taking a leap to the sands outside, Flighty sees one of those giant 'snakes' coiled and striking at the empty ground. The air/raft is not in sight, as the ship is blocking it from his view, but he still hears its roar!

[joertexas]

Sigrun jams a leg forward to brace herself inside the passenger compartment and draws her borrowed sidearm. She knows in an instant that the medic driving is going to turn the air/raft away, hard, and adjusts her aim as she fires. Aiming for the creature's head she fires the autopistol attempting to put the whole contents of the magazine into her target.

Her first shot grazes the creature as it lunges, but her second hits it cleanly!

Zaki reefs the air raft into a steep chandelle away from the creature at max acceleration. The air/raft banks up and around, it's not meant to be flown like this, but Zaki pulls it off! She has the air/raft's rear toward the 'snake' now, does she fly away or continue around to give Sigrun another shot?

Zaki banks to Sigrun's side, riding the countergrav hard to tighten the turn and keep the creature in range without descending. She opens her comm with a visual command in her HUD. "We're fighting two snakes at the ship from the air raft."

[helvorn]

Donovan let's fly with his rifle at the snake. "Engage with the ships turret if you can!"