"Hopefully, someone else has better news, but it may take a while before we can land safely. Powerful electrical storms would pummel us as we made entry."
"Can we land outside of the storm's area? Hike the rest of the way in to the colony? Or can we just wait it out?"
"Could be a long hike back with all the salvage in tow"
Mayhem shrugs. "Well, we could spend another day cooped up in this tin can, or we could stretch our legs a bit. How bad could an itty-bitty electrical storm be?"
"Let's not forget that this place has heavier than standard gravity. All I'm saying is that the closer we get to the Colony the better. Get the job done, in and out."
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Mayhem shrugs. "Well, we could spend another day cooped up in this tin can, or we could stretch our legs a bit. How bad could an itty-bitty electrical storm be?"
As it turns out, it could be awful.
The crew attempts to manoeuvre their craft under Nat's expert guidance down to the area denoted via their coordinates, but the massive blanket of shifting electrical energy threatens to fry the core of the ship each time. Ultimately, the crew chooses to touch down a few miles from the coordinates through an area free of the teeming static vortex. Once below the stratosphere, you all hypothesise that you would be able to travel overland to your location in two hours.
After suiting up and activating the environmental protection qualities inherent in your armours, the away team takes their first steps onto the alien planet of Colony-753. They are heavy ones.
High Gravity: On high-gravity worlds, characters are burdened by their
increased weight, and their physical abilities are affected accordingly. On a high-gravity world, where the gravity is at least twice as strong as standard gravity, a character (and her gear) weighs twice as much as on a standard-gravity world, but she has the same amount of strength. Such characters move at half speed, can jump only half as high or as far, and can lift only half as much. Thrown weapons (though not those of natives) have their ranges cut in half as they fall to the ground more rapidly. Modifications to running, jumping, and lifting can be negated by certain magic or technology, but projectiles remain affected. Characters who remain in a high-gravity environment for long periods (more than a day) often become fatigued and remain so until they leave the planet or become accustomed to the gravity.
"I volunteer for the away team," Verne quips, regarding Miss Barb for further instruction.
Mayhem clicks his heels together and his reconfigurable clothing shifts into an outfit suited for extreme gravity.
He gives a salute to Mallura, smirk on his face.
"Ready for duty, Captain!"
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"Not much Sh-Ux and I can do here until we get our hands on some UPB's."
If selected to go on the away mission, JD will stop by his quarters prior to setting out to retrieve his pistol and spare magazines. Before leaving his quarters he changes into a clean, bright red shirt under his coveralls.
"Away team? We're a small crew, we can all go." Barb stands up from her captain's seat and gives the order. "We're all going. Before we leave, we'll put the ship in lockdown to make sure no one gets cheeky, then we'll start the hike to the colony. Everybody arm up. I don't want any surprises out there, but we can at least be prepared if something comes up."
With her orders for the crew given, Barb heads to the cabin she shares with Asenath and retrieves her pistol. She opens the storage locker at the foot of her bunk and takes out her carefully folded Estex Suit. Well, she thinks, Guess it's time for some road-testing. Let's hope this thing works as well as I tell people it does.
"There's a 3 person buggy in the cargo hold. Why not limit the team to that many?"
If anyone is staying here, I don't think it should be me. If that last fight taught us anything it's that I know next to nothing about how to man a ship. Plus the weather's feeling pretty heavy; we're going to need someone to lift the heavy stuff, and I know my way around a medkit if anyone skins their knee.
While making their final arrangements before leaving the ship, JD takes notice that Mayhem looks about as bad as JD feels. He calls him over to have a look at him.
"Drift exit got you too eh? Mind if I have a look?"
With Mayhem's consent JD will give him a quick once over.
"I checked web-md. You cough is definately fatal. Lih mentioned a medkit, we should ask him"
Mayhem sticks is tongue out. And out. And out.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
JD Jumps back in mock horror. Having been on the butt end of some of Mayhem's pranks, he's slowly getting used to his antics.
Ewgh. I don't know if that's a symptom or not but either way it looks worse than fatal.
Lih can offer a second opinion if desired/helpful. He'll only do it if Jeryn misses something, though, or fails spectacularly.
[dice Medicine]1d20 + 9[/dice]
"Put that away, Mayhem! No one needs to see that. I would like to know what's going on with these two, though. Lih, if you could see to JD and Mayhem, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, we should get packed up and head out ASAP."
JD:
Mayhem:
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The team gears up as Jarix gasses up the exploration buggy. There is a strange static charge in the air that gives everyone a metallic tang to their taste buds (all save for Mayhem).
Stepping out into the open air, Barb's hand reaches instinctively to her head, "Ugh! This static is making my hair all kinds of frizzy! I knew I should've brought my good moisturizer."
Poor Mayhem....I'll let Lih break the bad news.
He will wait for any update on their condition from Lih.
Afterwards, JD checks his pistol magazine one last time, and loads a round into the chamber. He approaches the drone and confirms the charge on it's weapon bank as well. Then, with a heavy sigh, he leaves the relative safety of the ship and steps down onto the dirt of the colony world.
He turns to Barb. "I think I should be good to walk. We should be on high alert here. This place went dark 200 years ago, who knows what we'll find"
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Jarix will ride. He'll drive it down the ramp after prepping it. "All aboard whose coming aboard."
"JD, you think we could weld some running boards on this thing so it can carry more people?"
Despite the novel idea, there doesn't seem to exist enough spare materials on the austere ship to bring it to fruition.
Lih explains to Mayhem and JD that what they have, in fact, a Drift Hangover. It’s a mild illness that affects cognition and memory. The good news (unlike JD's instincts) is that it almost completely resolves after a full night’s rest. Lih further explains that there have been apocryphal reports of full spontaneous cures achieved after ingestion of psychedelic compounds.
Jarix drives the buggy down the cargo ramp, the strix riding shotgun beside him. Once the ship is secured, Mallura and JD walk in front of the buggy and the remainder of the crew walk alongside/behind the buggy. It is fortunately a grey-purple morning on this remote planet: plenty of time to traverse the ~3 miles to the coordinates of the lost colony.
Perception or Physical Science DC 15:There are quite obvious veins of ore running through the surface of this planet.
"Maybe for the return trip, when we've come across some salvage"
JD and Sh-Ux take up position in front of the buggy with the captain, keeping a close eye out ahead while they move. Having experience with non-drift hangovers, he powers on dispite feeling like twice as heavy garbage.
He considers Lih's advice about psychedelic treatments, but decides that this isn't the time nor the place.
"Alright, folks, let's get everyone on board who's going on board and roll out. Nat, try not to run us down with that thing, alright?" Mallura gives the pilot a wink, then checks the navigation data she downloaded to her comm unit from the ship and heads in the direction of the defunct AbadarCorp colony.
*I'd like to get a chance to use my legs for once this week. The gravity shouldn't be a problem as long as there's room in the buggy to put my medkit and rations.*
Jarix keeps the speed down, stopping on occasion or going a bit ahead as the terrain requires or the feeling catches him.
"You think AbadorCorp is interested in any of this ore?"
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Jarix drives the exploration buggy while Nat rides shotgun and the remainder of the crew meander across the craggy landscape. A spray of crystalline precipitation of some sort crackles against the wind visors and sonic screens of the varied environmental protections attached to your suits of armour. The onerous gravity of the planet begins to take its toll on the pedestrians in your crew as the trail towards the lost colony begins to climb a gradual rise to a plateau. At the top, the JD and the astrazoan both feel the distinct need to take breathers in order to avoid vomiting everywhere. This offers the rest of the team a few minutes for reconnaissance.
Still relatively fresh due to having drove, Jarix gets out and scouts around as the others rest. He misses his rifle as he readies his pistol and remembers his training.
"We have contacts." read the spoilers.
Hearing Jarix's warning JD gets up from his seated resting position and looks for the nearest cover readying his pistol.
Still feeling rough, he isn't to observant. He waits to see what happens next from his own crew.
To his drone he whispers a single command "κρύβω"
Beside JD, the drone Sh-Ux shimmers and fades from view with the activation of his reactive Camouflage.
Breathing heavily, Mayhem looks up at JD's warning.
"What?"
Lih calls out loudly to his crewmates.
"Why are we stopping?"
Through his suit, Verne surveys the planet before him.
Just rock. And crystal. No visible signs of life.
Despite the lack of a scenic view and the crush of added gravity, Verne was at peace. An unfamiliar sensation after months of drifting. He had a new purpose, to learn everything he could about this silent station.
For Yaraesa.
Still relatively fresh due to having drove, Jarix gets out and scouts around as the others rest. He misses his rifle as he readies his pistol and remembers his training.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
"We have contacts."
"Contacts? I only detect a series of structures up ahead," Verne replies. "Are you referring to the source of the glow?"
Beside JD, the drone Sh-Ux shimmers and fades from view with the activation of his reactive Camouflage.
In response to the drone's disappearance, Verne drops to one knee.
"Do they appear hostile?" he asks the others.
"Don't know if they're sentient, just that they're glow and move. Speaking of which, what's our move? Go in? Go around? Go hard? Or go home?"
Verne glances around into the thin air. "Perhaps we send the drone in, get a better look?"
Still behind his cover, looking haggard and anxious, JD looks back to Verne.
"My eyes must be a little blurry from this headache, I didn't see anything. How far out is it?"
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Jarix explains that some of the structures are more than 1/2 mile (~more than 2500 feet) out, but less than a mile away. Verne confirms that there are additional structures even more remote to the nearest ones. The plateau doesn't offer any elevated places for climbing, and you haven't seen a tree on this planet since you've landed.
"No. You guys stay here 10 more minutes. I'll go ahead." Jarix takes a moment to consider his route before starting off at a trot to scout ahead.
The world's gravity forces Jarix to return to a more normal pace soon after starting off. Even that causes him to exert himself more than he'd like. He stalks forward, hoping not to draw attention to himself.
The drone watches Jarix set off. After a curt nod from JD, he sets off behind him, keeping a short distance from Jarix. A keen eye, knowing where to look, might see a shimmer of his round outline as he floats silently a few feet from the ground.
Edit 4 rule clarification: JD will be issuing commands to Sh-Ux via custom rig.
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Jarix (and the unseen Sh-Ux) make their way forward, hoping to gather more information about the movement seen at the perimeter of what appears to be irregularly-angled stone buildings. Neither scout spies any further movement, but the reconnaissance is not for naught.
A further squall of crystalline precipitation pelts the planetary newcomers.
Mayhem tilts his head up and sticks out his tongue, hoping that this precipitation will make him feel better.
Mayhem spits.
"Ugh, tastes like metal. I don't recommend doing that."
Jarix radios back "I think there's something that moves underground. Be careful once you get close to my current coordinates." Jarix marks his location and continues to move forward as lightly as he can.
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Jarix presses forward, staying low to the surface of the strange planet as he comes across the flat and largely featureless plain. Remaining unseen is a challenge in this place, as is made plain to all as a pair of humanoid figures step out of one of the rocky structures and begin moving towards Jarix's position. As the gathered crew of AbadarCorp Vessel MRM3500 watch, both of the figures self-limn in an iridescent violet colour, flash brightly, then extinguish the colour. The pair repeat this lighting sequence a few beats later.