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As the operator fiddles with the Auspex controls the screen flashes from its customary dark green to a pale purple, then orange, then staticky grey, then back to green. Grunting in surprise, "So it looks like the ravine ends a ways to our right, but there's there's deadfall or something in the way, we'd need to break through or clear it by hand. Or we could head back, but my best guess is that it'd take two, three hours?"
"What are our chances of just powering through? Can we use the multi laser to clear a path?"
Sam has slept most of the uncomfortable ride, but has awaken as the confusion about the path broke out. Upon Cormaegs questions the large man clasps his hands and grins madly.
"You have my vote, Sarge! Just wanting to suggest blowing up some dirt as well, wohoo! Its about time to use that frigging overgrown lasgun on top of us! Wohooo!"
"The gun may help. But there is no way of knowing what the impact to the area around it may be. We may cause more problems than we can solve. But im just a driver. Not a nature specialist" he puts his hand behind his head as he chuckles
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Well, let us take a closer look. Trooper Black, take us in so we can get a visual."
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Handing off the Auspex in order to drive, Pvt. Black is able to bring you around to the deadfall--it looks as though a section of the ravine--higher on your end than the opposite side--collapsed inwards, filling in most of the gap but leaving a messy pile of churned earth, shattered tree trunks, and snapped branches throughout the space.
After a few bursts from the multilaser, the worst snarls of deadwood are left as smoking splinters, but the way still looks rough.
"This may be bumpy, hold on" he warns them as he tries to move over the terrain
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Third maxim of the Imperial guard, There is no problem that cannot be solved if you apply enough force."
"Harrharrharr! Give 'em hell, Black!"
"Ahhh, what a lovely sleep. Now, give me that battery-drive playmate of yours, Black and I will keep 'watch' for some time..."
Despite the hard poke at his rips coming from Zora, he reaches for the Auspex, flipping it on and fixating his gaze on the little green display.
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A workaround discovered, the Chimera bumpily rumbles over the remaining deadfall and debris and rumbles off through the forest. The day is overcast, and combined with the thick canopy above you travel through an eerie unchanging twilight.
The tree cover is thick, and so it's only Jankin's vigilance on the Auspex that he notices the Auspex's alerts--movement and heat off to the right, followed by a tiny white-hot flare of chemical heat a dozen meters closer.
"Ohhh, guys something is happening. Two o'clock. Heat signatures. One intense blob at 40m. Another bigger, but weaker one at 50m, same direction. Both seem to move. The small one is REALLY hot. Guessing chemical fire. Are we close enough that this could already be defenders using flamers?"
While talking and waving the Auspex around, he indicates Zora to ready Bertha for business.
"Regardless, everyone, get your weapons ready and find a gunport. sing out if you got eyes on something."
"Boy, I hope that are just the missing worker doing a big-ass barbecue in the jungle! Wouldn't that be nice ..."
Adahlia jumps up to the gunport, and scans the trees for targets. "If there's a fire, there would be smoke" Adahlia looks up as far as she can through the gunport see if there's any evidence of smoke above...
"Nothing over here!"
Looking up from the Auspex, Sam looks through one of the firing port in the direction of the heat contact.
"There's some red lighting ... and ... maybe smoke? Anyone knows if they have bush fires here?"
"I've spent half my life studying medicine, the other half learning to shoot. When am supposed to have studied ecological disasters?" Morvano snaps at Jankings. "Though if it is a fire, don't most things run away from it, we should expect incoming."
"Which direction should I turn her? At least that way if it is a hostile, her guns will be pointed right at it. And we can just fill it with holes" he asks over the clatter
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Are the signatures moving towards us? If it is a fire, we can't let it cut our path.
Continue on for now, but be ready to turn if you have to, trooper Black."
"Larger one moving away from us, straight into the tree line. Smaller one's stationary."
Adahlia scans back to the trees, trying to focus her attention on wherever the whatever it is may be.
"Well, keep an eye on the auspex to see if that changes, meanwhile we continue on to our objective.
Keep an eye out, if we can get a better look then we might stop, but for now, onwards."
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The thick canopy above has shaded out most of the ground-level plant life, so your view between the tree trunks is relatively clear. As the Chimera starts rolling forward once more, you catch brief glimpse of a bright red flame upon the ground, shining clearly even through the thick clouds of grey-white smoke coiling in the air above.
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Perception Test at +10 from everyone looking out a viewport--except Black who is driving.
BOT: Jankins throws a contemptuous glance at the lasgun ports and instead climbs into the cupola of the multilaser turret. After a couple of abortive attempts, Black points out the rotation lever and he is able to bring eight multilaser barrels around towards the object.
"Sergeant, seeing a lot broken branches, like something big came through in a hurry. I--wait, there's another light and more smoke, uh, seventy meters straight right!"
"Hmmm...what is that...?" Cormaeg mutters to himself as he peers out the viewport, scanning the area around them for clues.
Can't stop unless it's important, they don't like side trips in the imperial guards...
"Trooper Black, take us in, I want to get a better look at this, let's make sure out back is clear before we proceed."
"Uhh. Sir, do you think it possible that one of those high and mighty flyer's was gunned down and made a crash here? That thing could be a flare to signal the landing space. And the smaller heat signature trying to get away from the flare may be the poor guy who pisses himself 'cause he thinks us to be one of the jungle-monsters going to eat him for lunch? Maybe we should hail him with the vox or the remote-speakers of the chimera? Tell him to calm down, were imperials and such things?"
The heavy weapon trooper grins at the thought of being thought of as one of those beasts of this planet.
"Again with using your brain Jankins? Remarkable how sensible you can be when you engage your brain BEFORE your mouth isn't it?"
"If they have a working vox, then they are likely to be sending out an SOS as well, so if we can pick that up then we'll know."
The words of the NCO causes the wide, beaming grinn Jankins is known for.
"Sir, every man is tasked to spend the Emperors resources only if utterly necessary for they are strained, Sir! Rule #1 of basic training - according to Munitorum Adept Ignatius, Sir!"
"We also know some of the animals can mimic sounds, so they have some rudimentary intelligence, it's not a big leap that some primate may have got its hands some flares and have found they lure the unwary." Adahlia speaks distractedly as she maintains eyes on the forest.
"Well, someone get on the vox, listen in on any nearby transmissions."
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After a minute of scanning through staticky frequencies, the vox crackles to life and a woman's voice can be heard, speaking slowly and clearly.
"This is Kestrel Four requesting immediate emergency extraction, Valkyrie down. I repeat, Valkyrie down. We have troopers KIA. Message will repeat on loop. If anyone can read this give three clicks on the vox. Kestrel Four out."
There's a five-second pause, followed by the message repeating.
Since no-one else is taking a look Adahlia will scan the Vox for any transmissions.
"Black, stop here for a moment.
Morvano, anything on the vox?
Jankins, you check too.
Me and Locke will keep a look out.
If we don't get a signal in five minutes, or spot something, we'll move on."
Zora looks to the Sergeant in surprise. "You want this brute to fiddle with delicate tech? I don't think that this is such a good idea..."
Sam smiles towards her with what he thinks to be a disarming grin and also takes a look at the vox.
After some moments, he laughs out lout. There you go Adahlia. You have to switch to 'listen' rather than 'send'. Now let's hear ..."
"Yeah okay smart guy, I was getting there, I'm a medic not an engineer", though her blush at being shown up by the "brute" is undisguisable.
"Ahh, and thanks for the Emperor for that, Sweety. You would loose at least 10 percent of your stunning look if you were made from more metal than skin. Believe a knowing man on that matter...", replies Sam back with an even wider grin, which is only slightly reduced by a thrown ration-bar-to-the-head coming from Zora.
"Now stay quiet you jackass, or no one will hear anything over that baby-phone!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Axel gets the Chimera to stop. Waiting to see what would befal them next. Hopefully. This time. More prepared.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Give the three click counter signal, let's see if anyone is out there still listening.
It's possible that they died or had to abandon their shelter after starting the loop."
Hmmm, even if we find them, we can't take them back to camp, it would take too long...
After a quick look to the Sarge, Sam will reply - until otherwise commanded.
"Identify yourself and give a status report, soldier."