Thyx checked the knife in his boot, the baton in his belt loop, and tried to quick draw his sidearm - holster it - quickdrawing it again. As he holstered it the second time he spun the trigger ring around his index finger. He didn't seem aware he did so. The android looked to Cpt Malumaje and then to Kip, "We gonna do this?!" He huffed a couple of times as if trying to get his nerve up.
Having followed the others around the settlement to the warehouse, Thyx was grateful for the low guard presence at the outskirts of the colony. He peered inside to see the sole guard fiddling with his rifle. 'Hmm, the previous cadets were more disciplined than this. Maybe we can take this one without a fuss?' He withdrew his boot knife and ducked behind a table, taking advantage of the guard's distraction.
Something was off. He tried to make eye contact Kamiya ... she seemed to have a sense for these things.
She continued, “I think she’ll need some convincing to help out.”
Shocked, Kip said, "The Doctor might not want to help? What kind of a doctor is she?! Even if she won't take up arms, she'll still help heal our hurts, won't she?" She was used to doctors being neutral and sacred, and the idea of a physician not helping was foreign to her.
She thought for a second and looked at the vesk and his tail, “I could probably modify the Azlanti heavy armor to fit you if you like.”
Kip nodded enthusiastically. "That would be good! Captain needs his armour. How long will that take?"
Action 2
Seeing the strange behaviour of the guard, Kip immediately suspected that he wasn't what he appeared to be. Dropping to all fours, Kip crept forward, hoping to get a better look.
Action 1
"That seems reasonable. In which case we might as well go now."
Action 2
Sigirjus stayed down, waving the others forward. Closing his eyes he opened his ears, doing his best to hear inside the room.
OOC: the person in Azlanti armor does not perceive you.
You can't tell if he's a cadet or not by just looking at him since the helmet covers his face and also impairs his vision.
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1:
Shocked, Kip said, "The Doctor might not want to help? What kind of a doctor is she?! Even if she won't take up arms, she'll still help heal our hurts, won't she?" She was used to doctors being neutral and sacred, and the idea of a physician not helping was foreign to her.
Kamiya frowned, "I agree with Kip. A healer should do their job regardless of their personal beliefs. Don't they have to take an oath or something?" She sighed, "But it's not like we can coerce her either into helping us. It's sad really."
But all this talk about healers reminded the lashunta that she still carried a healing serum. Fat lot of good it did them when there were five of them and four were hurt but it was better than nothing. Considering she wasn't the worst off of their group, she couldn't in all good conscience keep it for herself while others suffered.
She went over to Thyx while he was checking his weapons and pulled the healing serum out of her bag. Kamiya handed it over to the android, "You seem to be the worst off of us all. The Captain isn't much better off but I'm hoping that with the retrofitted armour that he'll have a better chance at staying on his feet."
Kip nodded enthusiastically. "That would be good! Captain needs his armour. How long will that take?"
Kamiya nodded, "Agreed. Even if it takes some time, I think that it's necessary to make sure Sig doesn't get more hurt than he already is."
Action 2:
Kamiya crept along with the others as they made their way to the storehouse. She cautiously moved through the door into the storehouse and was immediately on alert when she spotted someone dressed in Azlanti armour who was obviously armed.
The lashunta couldn't help but think that this cadet was poorly trained in comparison to the cadet's they had encountered in the woods. Remembering Aibretta's words about Rendell doing something reckless, she can't help wonder if it might be him before them. Immediately she begins to probe its mind to see if she could determine if she was dealing with an Azlanti or a colonist in disguise.
Thyx stared at Kamiya blankly, "You only have one?". It sounded like he was asking for more but in his head he thought what he didn't know how to say. 'Your giving your only serum to me?! What if you're ... I'll do my best to make sure you never need it.' He continued to look at her as he injected just next to the shoulder wound. The android winced as coagulant went to work to stop the bleeding and a strong stimulant-steroid gave him new energy.
Kip frowned - she couldn't see who was under the helmet. She moved a bit closer, hoping to see if there was anybody else in the store, either up right, or on the floor.
Seeing TortAce's antenna wiggling, she realized the lashunta was probably doing some of her mind mojo. She waited to see what the alien would be able to determine.
Thyx took the helmet from Rendell and looked from Kamiya to Kip to Malumaje to Robert. As he strapped the helmet on he inquired, "How do you say 'Can't get these natives to hustle if you put a gun to their mamas'." His voice sounded like someone injected his throat with Novocaine.He snapped his fingers at Rendell to get the manifest ready.
Perhaps these cadets, used to following orders, had no flavour to their voices and the slab of cold meat that was Thyx own voice 'fit in'. Perhaps it was some tiny fragment of a memory of having been a soldier himself. He sounded like an early morning announcements update given by someone who just awoke, but whatever Robert was telling him to say into the helmet seemed to be going over well. Thyx stood there copying Magnusson's words as best he could and started to wonder as he spoke, 'Hmm, what the burnt-out transducer coil am I saying???' Robert was going on a bit as the android continued to urge Rendell to get the manifest.
Action 1:
Kamiya held up her hands and said gently, "Of course it wasn't your fault. How about you put the gun down so it doesn't accidentally go off again and we'll figure this out. We have no intention on alerting anyone to what's happened so you're safe for the time being."
She gave a comforting smile, "This kind of thing can be quite traumatic. Do you want to sit down?"
Action 2:
Since Robert was the only one of them that knew Azlanti and was human, Kamiya was about to suggest that he respond directly when the message came over the comm when Thyx took it and strapped it on.
She was paralyzed by surprise for a few moments while Thyx tried to mimic phonetically what Robert was saying. Finally she said in a forced whisper, "Wouldn't it be easier if Robert replied directly into the comm?"
Then she looked at Rendell, "How can I help with the manifest? Is there a reason we shouldn't provide them with one? Even a false one?"
The captains eyelids - all of them - snap back as his eyes pop in surprise. Adrenline surges and something... changes. Not in him, but in Thyx.
Then she looked at Rendell, "How can I help with the manifest? Is there a reason we shouldn't provide them with one? Even a false one?"
The captain nodded, and hissed quietly. "Is there one? They're less likely to suspect something happened here if they have one."
OOC: I'm out of town and won't be back home until Monday night.
Game on!
She was paralyzed by surprise for a few moments while Thyx tried to mimic phonetically what Robert was saying. Finally she said in a forced whisper, "Wouldn't it be easier if Robert replied directly into the comm?"
"How do you say 'Can't get these natives to hustle if you put a gun to their mamas'." His voice sounded like someone injected his throat with Novocaine.He snapped his fingers at Rendell to get the manifest ready.
”Right, repeat after me,” Robert grunted, taking out his toolkit. ”But just a sec, I’ll see if I can muddle your voice a bit… if the fellow on the other end wants to chat, I’ll take over.”
Action 1
"Bad luck!" Kip sympathized as Randall told his tale. "Where's the body? Eventually they'll come looking. Maybe we can drag it out to the woods and put a branch over it, so it looks like a natural accident."
Action 2
Kip clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a giggle as Thyx tried his hand at Azlanti impersonation. The giggle trailed off as she realized he was actually...not bad at it.
The captain cast his eyes over the list quickly.
"Magnusson. Look at this list, quick. See if you can use the parts on this to jury rig something useful."
"My guess is they've got supplies, but they plan to try to coerce the colony into behaving by taking delivery of essentials. Any other ideas?"
"Who else knows you were here?" Sigirijus asks. "If they don't know that, he can just vanish. If they do... you're likely on the run."
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Action 2
Kip shook her head. "Somebody knows he was here, that manifest didn't just appear." Turning to Robert, she said, "After you send the report, tell them that there's hobgars making trouble and that you're going to check it out. That should give us enough time to get him out into the woods after dark, and make it look like an accident."
Action 1:
“Should we tell them what I really have or stall them?”
Kamiya responded almost immediately, "Stall them."
The lashunta turned to Thyx and Robert and made her suggestion, "Can you ask the voice what he's looking for on the manifest? Tell it that it's so you can get them the information they require faster than bringing them the manifest. That way we may be able to find out what they're looking for."
Action 2:
Kamiya patted Kip on the arm, although she was of a height that she could pat her on the head if she wasn't careful, "Good plan, Kip. It would make sense that the cadet tried to chase off the hobgars into the woods and then had an accident. Although it will be hard to disguise the bullet hole."
Kamiya tried to remember what she'd read about the planet to see if she could recall larger animals that may attack humans. Possibly ones that could maul a person in order to cover up the bullet hole.
The lashunta turned to Thyx and Robert and made her suggestion, "Can you ask the voice what he's looking for on the manifest? Tell it that it's so you can get them the information they require faster than bringing them the manifest. That way we may be able to find out what they're looking for."
”A trooper wouldn’t ask questions,” Robert whispered, shaking his head. ”A good grunt only obeys orders.”
"Magnusson. Look at this list, quick. See if you can use the parts on this to jury rig something useful."
"My guess is they've got supplies, but they plan to try to coerce the colony into behaving by taking delivery of essentials. Any other ideas?"
”More like it,” the technomancer grunted, scanning the list quickly. It would be stupid to try and claim the storehouse didn’t contain most of the items on the manifest – too great a risk for another trooper coming over to eyeball the contents. But a few specific items going missing? That was whole another thing.
”You, tin man. Repeat after me,” Robert muttered, then crafted Thyx a simple message. ’Got it, Sir. Heading back shortly. Right after I teach this scum to waste our time.’
”We need to engineer a little fatal accident for this fellow sooner rather than later,” Robert said, nudging the body with a boot, echoing Kip’s suggestion. ”He’ll be missed sooner or later, and I guess it’d be best for him to be found somewhere else. A victim to a horrible and lethal accident, if at all possible.”
"Good thought Kip." Sigijus looked thoughtful. "I could probably rip him apart." he announced "What else would we need to make it look like wildlife?"
The captain cocked his head "Still going to leave a lot of evidence here though, won't it?"
Action 1
"What did he say?" Kip asked, as the voice came through the helmet. After Beardo translated, she said, "Say that the locals are too scared to misbehave, or something like that. We don't want them suspicious."
Action 2
Looking out at the lanes of the settlement, Kip said, "I don't feel good about trying to move the body in the day. Can we hide him here, and then deal with him under the cover of dark?"
”You, tin man. Repeat after me,” Robert muttered, then crafted Thyx a simple message. ’Got it, Sir. Heading back shortly. Right after I teach this scum to waste our time.’
Thyx did as he was told without questioning Magnusson, concentrating on repeating exactly what he was told.
"I could probably rip him apart." he announced "What else would we need to make it look like wildlife?"
The captain cocked his head "Still going to leave a lot of evidence here though, won't it?"
"Sir, we won't be able to pilfer anything from the body. I can clean the rifle and try to make it look like it hadn't been fired. Replace the round in the clip. We'll have to return the helmet but I suggest we remove any battery packs. It will point to Hodgars having at least been at the corpse. Do we have something to wrap the body in. I don't want to leave a blood trail." Thyx searched the space for a tarp or sheet plastic.
"Good thought. Hmm - do you think the Hobs could have wrestled the rifle, shot him by accident, and run? Do they use clubs?"
Action 1:
Not being able to speak the language meant Kamiya stayed quiet and listened as Robert relayed to Thyx what to say. She was able to recognize a name and filed it away for future reference...Master-at-Arms Olaraja. I wonder if she's the one in charge or just the one in charge of these cadets? Either way, she did not sound like a pleasant woman.
Kamiya nodded in agreement with Kip but didn't add anything further. They all seemed like they were on the same page - make sure the Azlanti cohort firmly believed that the locals were no threat to them and had been sufficiently intimidated into compliance.
Kamiya glanced at the manifest and scanned it for any useful items. It seemed pretty basic supplies for a group of colonists. She pointed to a few items that would be easily portable and would probably come in handy. "Captain, we should take one of the basic medkits, some medpatches, some more batteries, and this creator capsule. If something breaks then we could use it to make a replacement part, provided it's not too complicated. And we've already shown that we could use the other stuff. As long as we don't get too greedy with what we take, they shouldn't notice it's missing." She handed the list over to Kip and Thyx, "Any engineering tools that would be of use?"
She looked at Aibretta questioningly, "Did you guys bring any land vehicles with you when you colonized?"
Action 2:
Good thought. Hmm - do you think the Hobs could have wrestled the rifle, shot him by accident, and run? Do they use clubs?"
Kamiya offered her thoughts on the planet's fauna, "The hobgars are definitely dextrous enough and handsy enough to wrestle with a gun causing it to go off, although they'd be more interested in fighting for batteries than weapons. It may be feasible enough although a hard to prove theory with no witnesses. On the other hand, who knows what larger creatures exist on this planet and I'm willing to bet that the Azlanti don't know for sure either. It would be just as feasible that there is something large enough that is capable of mauling a human. Either way, I think we could make it look enough like an accident of some sort to remove suspicion from Rendell."
Turn 052 - Unfortunate Accident
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
BTW: we seemed to have settled on a slower pace than I normally run PBPs. I guess I'm OK with that as long as you all are. Let me know if you would like to speed this up a bit (to a one post per day).
The captain sighed. "If this is the first place they're going to look, then they'll see the spilled blood anyway. We'll need to make this look sufficiently horrific that colonists won't be suspected. Is anyone carrying any old trophies that might have been left in the body? Teeth? Claws?"
"Alright; any issues with this? We rip the body up. We leave. Once we're a bit out we send a transmission suggesting the cadet ran into something, ran back here from shelter and was ripped apart. We get the colonists to spread a story about something out in the woods they're scared of. Colonists aren't blamed, and with luck the cadets will get worried something is hunting humans." The Captain looked around "You can be honest, I'm looking for feedback."
She handed the list over to Kip and Thyx, "Any engineering tools that would be of use?"
After finishing Robert's transmission, Thyx took the helmet off and put it back on the cadet.
Then looked over the list. "What's a sashimono?" He went over to the drawer indicated on the manifest, pulled out a small projector turning it on. A two by three foot banner projected upward with an animation of a drill logo turning. Across the bottom it said 'Nakondis! A world of Opportunity!' It was slightly transparent and seemed to be on a six second loop. "Hmm, Robert? Could you record a short looped image in place of this? It might fool someone at a distance, in the mist. It is nearly Kip's height. A distraction?" He looked around a bit and found a fire extinguisher and a laser drill. The drill he put on his left hip. The extinguisher he strapped to his back.
_______
... "You can be honest, I'm looking for feedback."
Thyx listened carefully, 'Dammit! I just finished cleaning the rifle!' 'Sir, as the cadet was just in contact with command from this location, I suggest we clean up the blood here. We leave the rest of the mess, throwing in a few spent batteries. Some hobgar fur would be helpful. We take our chances and transport the body to the woods. Werip it apart there. Then spread some rumours. The story is some hobgars broke in, caused calamity, the cadet chased them into the woods and met a predator."
BTW: we seemed to have settled on a slower pace than I normally run PBPs. I guess I'm OK with that as long as you all are. Let me know if you would like to speed this up a bit (to a one post per day).
Thyx listened carefully, 'Dammit! I just finished cleaning the rifle!' 'Sir, as the cadet was just in contact with command from this location, I suggest we clean up the blood here. We leave the rest of the mess, throwing in a few spent batteries. Some hobgar fur would be helpful. We take our chances and transport the body to the woods. We rip it apart there. Then spread some rumours. The story is some hobgars broke in, caused calamity, the cadet chased them into the woods and met a predator."
"What he said," Robert agreed, his attention mostly in the store manifest. "Should be plenty of stuff here that'd wash away blood and certainly muddle up any DNA so it couldn't be sequenced. If anyone spots the remains and asks, just say you butchered a local near-chicken there or something. The way these purists bricks think, they'll likely accept something that'll reinforce their image of you as backwards country hicks of the worst order."
"But forget that rumor bit. Just take the comms unit, mutter something about examining a disturbance, then when we are all done with the corpse, say something indistinct about local predator and then we cut the link. The people follow the comms to the last transmit location, they find their boy properly ripped to shreds, no doubt by the fearsome beastie he had reported seeing."
Kip stared down at the young cadet, feeling sorry for having to disrespect his body. The face looked the same as the others, but then again, the ysoki had a hard time telling clean-shaven humans apart - without their "fur", they all looked the same. Still, these Azlanti seemed even more similar than others.
"I'll go check to make sure the coast is clear," she said, once the plan had been decided on. Slinking out of the building, she crossed the street, hid behind some crates, and took a careful look around.
Once she was certain nobody was looking, she whispered into her comm, "Good to go,"
Action 1:
Kamiya grabbed what she could without decimating supplies and making it look suspicious. Not that she knew how to bandage anyone properly but at least they had the supplies now if someone needed it.
Action 2:
The pilot's eyes sparkled at the mention of the hovertrikes. "Good to know in case we need to make a quick getaway. Are there many colonists in the outposts? Or did the Azlanti bring them all back here to keep everyone under lockdown together?"
Action 3:
The lashunta wasn't sure she had the stomach for what was to come in staging the accident. "Robert has the right of it, I think. Better if we stage the accident away from here. We should be able to clean up the majority of the blood that's here. And I like the idea of planting the idea of an unknown local predator. They're already somewhat familiar with hobgar behaviour so them being concerned about a new predator could be beneficial to us."
Thyx looked at the shelves and grabbed some cleaning supplies. He got down on his knees and got to it. "We'll have to shift the rack to move the body but we have to hurry. He's expected to report in with the manifest ... oh, we better remember to leave a copy on the body." Still his blank affect made it sound like he was house cleaning.
Action 1:
Kamiya looked puzzled, "I find it unusual that the Azlanti invaders didn't demand that everyone in the outposts return here so that they could better control the colonists. I guess it's good to know that we have potential reinforcements should we need them. The fact that they are odd people may work in our favour."
Action 2:
Kamiya looked somber as the Captain and Thyx returned, "I'm glad that unpleasantness is over and done with. Hopefully our little ruse will work but it makes sense to go back to Aibretta's and wait there to find out. That and we'll be able to discuss more freely what to do next."
Action 3:
The lashunta considered their options left from Aibretta's suggestions on how to help the colonists while making things more difficult for the Azlanti. "The Azlanti will already be annoyed by the hobgars based on what happened at Rendell's so freeing them may further cause distress. However, I personally would like to learn more about what Cedona found and so visiting the Administrator's house would probably be my preference."
Sigirijus gave a big sigh as he looked down at the body. "My apologies, Cadet."
Careful not to leave any boot prints he braced the kid and pulled on an arm, wiggling it back and forward. "Can' even complain the boss gives me all the bad jobs." he groaned as he felt parts of the body come away.
The captain was subdued on his return.
When presented with the armour he attempted humour, though it fell flat. "Somehow I doubt that anyone's going to mistake me for a human cadet." Sigirijus huffed.
"As for me, I plan on a bath. Or a shower. Something." the Captain peeled a scale off his face 'Great, stress shedding.'
Kamiya looked puzzled, "I find it unusual that the Azlanti invaders didn't demand that everyone in the outposts return here so that they could better control the colonists. I guess it's good to know that we have potential reinforcements should we need them. The fact that they are odd people may work in our favour."
"Could be that they already got all the manpower they wanted out of these colonists and they sent armed patrols to... pacify those smaller communities," Robert suggested offhandedly, as if the matter wasn't of particular interest to him.
Kamiya looked somber as the Captain and Thyx returned, "I'm glad that unpleasantness is over and done with. Hopefully our little ruse will work but it makes sense to go back to Aibretta's and wait there to find out. That and we'll be able to discuss more freely what to do next."
"Not impossible that the Azalanti still take it out on the colonists, even if they buy our ruse, if the horrible beastie refuses to be found," the technomancer put in. "Although might not want to draw the locals' attention to that possibility - it was either this or have that Rendell fellow become a graphic object lesson on compliance."
Thyx listens passively, registering the miners numbers.
As Thyx jogged while crouching and holding one end of the body in a blanket, he whispered to the Captain, "Cap! Does this feel strangely familiar to you? I'm getting a serious deja vu vibe."
As they got to the right point in the woods the android took lookout and couldn't help but flinch a little as the Captain did a good job of making the dismemberment thorough. As they were about to leave he spoke the remembered phrase into the helmet, removed the ammo he added to the breech, and then fired a shot into the deep woods. "We better hustle." He jogged with the captain back to Aibretta's. There was a kind of twisted little smile across his lips - bonding time, just him and the captain doing 'guy stuff', he thought.
Thyx flopped down on the couch in Aibretta's and grabbed a handful of leftover snacks. He nodded to himself, 'Hungry work' He looked at each team member in turn, "Well Captain, when you're clean shall be clear out the cemetary? Test out the armour?"
Moving day is Sunday, I'll be afk until then at least. Not sure when we'll have internet set up at the new place. Please bot kip until then.
OOC: busy yesterday but intend to move things along today...
We'll take a care of Kip...
Sigirijus considered Thyx's words, and looked reluctantly to the armour. "No. No, not yet. Only advantage we have over the recruits is speed. I wear this, we lose that.
He considered [b]"Or is it? Can anyone think of something else we have they lack, apart from stunning good looks and a brilliant commander?"
Action 1:
Kamiya shrugged, clearly unconvinced. "Maybe. But it still seems odd to leave people at large when you're trying to subjugate a planet. It makes them an uncontrolled variable." She holds up her hands as if surrendering, "I know, I know. Who are we to know how the Azlanti think? I'm just saying that it seems weird from my point of view."
Action 2:
The lashunta cocked her head at the Captain, "I don't think speed is our only advantage. And I would argue that you having your insides on the inside where they belong is a huge advantage. I would be willing to risk going slower so that you can wear the armor."
Or is it? Can anyone think of something else we have they lack, apart from stunning good looks and a brilliant commander?
Kamiya grinned, "I know it sounds corny but we have diversity and the ability to improvise. I think all those cadets can do is follow orders and not think on their feet."
"Maybe. But it still seems odd to leave people at large when you're trying to subjugate a planet. It makes them an uncontrolled variable." She holds up her hands as if surrendering, "I know, I know. Who are we to know how the Azlanti think? I'm just saying that it seems weird from my point of view."
'Hmmm, perhaps they are too interested in this ancient ship!' Thyx forgot to speak out loud and was curious that no one answered.
"Sir, it's an obvious advantage but they don't know that we are here. For now, I think this is a critical advantage. We can continue to separate them and pick a few off. But we've already reduced their numbers by eight. Not to mention the orbiting drones. If they did number thirty plus a command structure then that could be twenty-five percent gone. They must notice that by the end of this guard rotation.
"We aren't stationary. They have to defend a base of operations while we can move where we like. This lends itself to 'hit-and-run tactics'.
"We have the assistance of colonists. They have their help through coercion only.
"Also, at this stage, Kip, Kamiya, and Robert are particular advantages for information gathering. I'm just another gun. I can face off against any cadet perhaps. I don't think the other side has a mind talker, a scientist with the incite of our Mags, or anything like Kip. We should be trying to get both yourself and Mags in the best position to use your special skill sets."
"I suggest we take out a few more guards before they start a proactive look for what's disappearing their people. Then we make our play for information. We go to the administrator's house as Kamiya suggested ... Sir."
Kamiya shrugged, clearly unconvinced. "Maybe. But it still seems odd to leave people at large when you're trying to subjugate a planet. It makes them an uncontrolled variable." She holds up her hands as if surrendering, "I know, I know. Who are we to know how the Azlanti think? I'm just saying that it seems weird from my point of view."
”Could be they are here for just this one relic and don’t care for anyone who isn’t a real threat? Or they just don’t have the time to waste rounding up single family groups from all over the continent?” Robert suggested, treating the fate of those unfamiliar people as a slightly intriguing puzzle to be solved.
"I suggest we take out a few more guards before they start a proactive look for what's disappearing their people. Then we make our play for information. We go to the administrator's house as Kamiya suggested ... Sir."
”On the other hand, taking out more guards is a sure way to make them smell the coffee, and the locals are the ones who are within easy reach to punish, or push for information. And they already showed what they do to people who won’t bend a knee quickly enough,” Robert grunted. ”They start picking people at random to gun down until the ones responsible walk out to be executed, what are you gonna do?”
Not that there was any avoiding that, he thought. Not unless they moved too fast for the Azalanti to organize even that much… it wasn’t a bad idea to keep the initiative, to force the enemy to only react to what you did to them…
"Good analysis all." Sigirijus approves. "So: increase the tempo to increase confusion. Hit and run tactics to prevent them from relaxing and convince them to 'hunker down'. Get the colonists to leave before the inevitable reprisal. Take advantage of our non-conventional skillsets."
"Are we of the opinion that we push, now, as hard as we can? Or that we take quiet missions until we can get the colonists away?"
"So; cemetery, or administrator's house. If we have time, I'm thinking do the house first. We might be able to get information that allows us to better plan our strategy, and information is more valuable the earlier you get it. Reasonable?"
"in the meantime we should have the colonists pack a few days supplies, get ready to run. If the cemetery fight goes bad they may need to scatter - or better yet, fight."
"So; cemetery, or administrator's house. If we have time, I'm thinking do the house first. We might be able to get information that allows us to better plan our strategy, and information is more valuable the earlier you get it. Reasonable?"
"in the meantime we should have the colonists pack a few days supplies, get ready to run. If the cemetery fight goes bad they may need to scatter - or better yet, fight."
The android felt a twinge deep in his gut but couldn't figure why. He was spoiling for another firefight but the Captain, Kamiya, even Robert kept coming back to the getting the colonists. "Maybe they don't find the first group of four we shot. We did hide the bodies. Maybe they blame the three cadets we found on Fulson. He said he thought he shot a fourth ... that may mean nine cadets down instead of eight ... the ruse with the last cadet may have worked. Mags is right. If we are very lucky we may still have time. Hopefully they will chalk the butcher's bill up to a weird planet. We don't need to fool them, just keep them off balance. If the administrator's house is your call then I on board." Thyx drew his automatic, checked the slide, and re-holstered it.