"I think Penny knows precisely how much the bike costs Chase." Katherine replies, matter-of-factly. [b]"Im sure she has it recorded.
Talah helps Chase as she goes to work with her pulley system, whistling with a compliment. "I'm sure glad that Chase is on our side, eh? She's got the brains and the bod!"
Afterwards she looks over at her own dented bike and nudges the mystic as she asks "Hey Penns, how much does that bike cost? Askin' fer a friend."
Taking a look at Penny, she point to a bloodied section of her torso. "Good news is I think kept most of the blood on yer shirt and not on the bike. Prolly should tryta keep it inside ya though. If you want my two creds."
Ben meanwhile keeps his eyes on the herd, trusting his crew to get the job done. His trust is not misplaced, as he knew it would not be.
Pain is a great distracter, so she is able to ignore the insensitive remarks of the companions rather easily. While the others work on getting the bike out, the blonde quartermaster rests on the ground, concentrating on her magic to close up the wounds before one of the others suggests something like rubbing dirt on it. After she is no longer leaking, she starts the process of casting to clean the blood off her uniform.
She can do nothing about the tears though. A fact that makes her sigh rather long and deep.
Offhand she answers the question poised. "It averages seven hundred credits new, but with the state it was in before I sat my bottom on its cushion, it shouldn't be worth more than two hundred and thirty four. Though I imagine the 'Upstanding' merchant that rented us them would argue a much higher replacement fee. And thank you for your Two Creds, dear witty Boots." her sickly sweet tone in place so the Captain doesn't decide to get the wrong idea again.
With Chase's skills, Penny's enercyle is quickly rescued from the bait-laced pit. However, no sooner has she mounted the battered vehicle and brought it up to speed when something catches her eye (as well as the eyes of Boots and Katherine). A local variety of predatory plant (that blends in with the more sedate versions) is moving tendrils towards one of the juvenile defrexes.
Ben goes zooming towards the plant, gunning his engine and generally making a lot of noise. A shot through one of the plants tendrils helps too.
The encroaching vines of the carnivorous plant retreat in haste at Ben's assault and the young defrexes retreats back to the herd.
Another hour and a half goes by and everyone is getting tired, and that includes the vicious beasts, themselves. After coming to a slow halt to partake of a well-needed rest and meal, it seems that the herd isn't so inclined to begin moving again and skirmishes break out among the creatures as tempers flare.
Ben seems to be getting the hang of herding the beasts and manages to break up a number of skirmishes between them.
Boots sees trouble forming and revs her throttle, throwing herself forward quickly. Accelerating, she deftly maneuvers herself between numerous creatures and forces them apart.
As Ben and Boots settles the Beasts, Penny cleans up from the three S's, sandwiches, soups, and salads.
Katherine helps Penny, by offering moist towelette's and holding (at arm's length naturally) the disposal bags for the quartermaster to dispose of rubbish in. She looks at Boots and Ben blasting around on their bikes and glances at Penny.
"They are rather child-like on those things aren't they?"
Penny looks up "Yes" the word comes out as a sigh, then as she continues with the clean up she adds a theory "I think it about semblance of Control. Life is generally chaos, as you know, so you can either try and control what you can with careful thought, preparation, and patience... or you can grab on to the illusion of it by strapping an engine between your legs, and zooming about sending it where you command."
Boots hoots and hollers loudly into her
Ben and Boots break up the tussles with judicious use of applied technology, dispersing the argumentative creatures.
One particularly large defrex takes umbrage at the challenging display, however and as Penny attempts to move past, it charges with an aggressive display in an attempt to retake back the herd. It's quills rise up on its back, and it rumbles a threatening growl as it closes with her.
"um... what was that they said about big creatures wanting to make themselves look BIG and scary... oh yes... " she pulls out her pistol and gets ready to shoot it in its manhood. But sighs, realizing that it might cause a stampede. Instead she grabs the waste bag she had looped on the back of her bike and throws it in the creatures face. Food, excrement, and a couple of recreationally chemicals splatter in its face, inside its nose and mouth, hopefully confusing its senses.
Penny flings her bag of refuse at the beast and it snarls back. At least until the bag bursts open upon hitting the creature's nose. Something in the bag doesn't combine well with a defrex's olfactory senses and the creature squeals before turning and racing off shaking its nose.
Thirty minutes later and the Oliphaunt comes into sight. The drive is almost done. As you close with the ship, you hear a series of howls that quicken the herd's pace.
Katherine's brain goes into over drive trying to identify the off noises emanating from the ship wanting to make sure she is 100% accurate before stating her thoughts.
"Defrex young; they sound newborn. Pretty ferocious things from Vesk-2 I recall." Recalling Penny's previous concerns, Katherine adds "These creatures aren't all that big, but some may be scared of them, but no need for particular concern, just view them as more obstacles in our way."
The howls are off to the south of you as you get closer to the Oliphaunt, so unless you wish to investigate them, you can pass on by without another thought. The last 'obstacle' to overcome is just a narrow ravine that you need to pass through as you exit the gulch with your ship on the other side of it.
Being next to useless with animals and bikes, Penny is best stationed in the middle.
If penny is near the captin, then
she'll touch his shoulder and speak the below to his mind
else
she'll yell it to everyone.
"Armed bipedal bovine in the brush!"
As Ben and Boots lead the herd through the ravine, Boots notices, up ahead, at least one grenade conceal as a mine in the rough ground.
Boots spots the mine and then loops around to try and diverge the herd from the path it's taking, but unfortunately she's unable to figure out how to do so. She says into her comm "Uhhhh Cap. There's a grenade here that's about ta go BOOM. Get clear!"
Ben agrees with Tasha's assessment!
"Turn them as quick as you can!" He commands. "There's mines up here."
Pulling his rifle he does something desperate, and shoots at the grenade.
Desperate or not, Ben's shot is spot on. With a loud retort that echoes through the ravine, the grenade goes off with a bright flash of light - a flash grenade.
The flash is followed by the sound of a rail gun firing and Ben feels a burning pain in his left shoulder.
Combat Begins
Round 1
Where is he? Ben thinks back, rolling off his enercycle. He hits the ground hard, but does at least land on his feet. His rifle comes with him and he crouches behind the cycle, aiming his rifle upwards.
"It's Up There!" Penny yells as she fires a round at the bovine man in the bush.
Unfortunately, she hits a bush way away from where the sniper is, maybe on the other side of the ridge even.
Chase pulls out her laser pistol and fires on the distant sniper.
"Bah! Why can't he come down where I can punch him?" she grouses.
Katherine is a. a long way away from the source of the shooting and b. not remotely equipped for this sort of thing, so she stays where she is and gives Penny a friendly needling.
Boots snaps off a shot with her pistol that finds its mark based on the grunt of pain the sniper makes. Chase and Penny each fire off a warning shot while Katherine innoculates the quartermaster against potential damage. Taking a close look, Ben can see the bovine bombardier crouching behind some brush.
Round 2
Shifting his aim to someone that actually shot him, the nuar fires off a round that whizes with the sound of fatality just over Boots' head.
With his sights on the sniper, Ben aims and fires!
Sadly all his luck was used up hitting the grenade.
Chase maneuvers her bike near the cliff and tries to climb the wall, but her first attempt fails miserably.
Katherine is still not suited for this task, so she moves closer and snaps off a shot - aiming to flush the sniper out rather than hitting.
Penny stays at the rear of these beasts, since she assumes someone has to. But she still tries to shoot the sniper.
"closer, hmmm... maybe if I try aiming away from him I'll have a better shot." she mutters to herself.
Boots fires off another shot, but the cover provided by the bushes protects the sniper. Chase tries to clamber up the side of the ravine, but fails to find purchase. Penny fires a second warning shot. Katherine sends a round into the ground cover, spooking the nuar enough that Ben's follow-up shot hits him.
Round 3
Ben is left to reconsider if attracting the enemy's attention is such a good thing when a round from the sniper's rail cannon hits him square in the chest, almost knocking him from his enercycle.
Penny tightens her lips together in frustration as their leader has been shot again. She looks at the livestock, their walking bags of money, then at their bleeding captain.
After way too much hesitation she tells Katherine "I'm going up to heal him if I can make it around all these things."
Thankfully Carrie resists the urge to panic, which helps Ben stay focused. Since there's little else he can do he shoots back!
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Since Ben seems to be on target for once, no doubt thanks to the focusing effects of adrenaline, Katherine aims for the sniper this time.
Correction: Katherine aims three feet to the sniper's left, hoping to draw him out of cover. Her shot is exactly where she intended it to be.
Unfortunately the plan does not work, but that is because the sniper is too foolish - not because the plan was unsound.
Chase lets out a string of creative curses as she scrabbles at the rock wall, to no avail. "Dammit! I knew I should have gone with the Extend-o-Fists!"
Boots fires again, but fails to hit the enemy. Chase continues her effort to ascend the side of the ravine, but the decision to not pay for the deluxe fists is really working against her. Penny moves through the tired and cranky defrexes to reach her captain. Katherine makes a tactically sound choice, but an uncooperative nuar nullifies her efforts. Ben gets payback for his spilled blood.
Round 4
Giving a textbook example of the violence inherent in the vicious cycle of revenge, the sniper retaliates with a shot at the captain that sends pain through his leg.
Chase continues her exercise in futility...
Lining up her next shot, she takes aim and speaks into her comm "Hey Cap, I gotta question I been meanin' ta ask ya."
Before pulling the trigger, she feints one way while moving the other and slips her pistol to the opposite hand before pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, it was a clumsy exchange and she nearly drops her weapon. "Dammit!" she curses aloud before sighing and finishing her actual question. "So like, are ya sacrificin' yer body for us so that none of us beautiful ladies get injured? Or do I needta talk to Penns about making sure you get some more PT time?"
Penny finally weaves her way around the herd of tired and cranky defrexes to get to the bleeding and holey Ben. "Talah, does have a good question there. As well as another, how do the many enemies that keep attacking you know that you are such a self sacrificing captain?" the healer says as she rests her hand against one of the many wounds and forces her magic to close it.
"I send out a comm signal on every planet we arrive at." Ben says, managing something between a smile and a grimace as Penny closes the most recent injury. "Somehow everyone pays attention to that and not the one where I ask for well renumerated work for reasonable effort..."
"Oh we have Chase hack that second one." Penny says offhand as she inspects her work. She nods with satisfaction before looking at his shoulder next. "You DO not want to know what she changes it to." added with a wicked smile.
Katherine shakes her head as she watches the rest of the crew taking time out to banter in the midst of a firefight. Thankfully she keeps her head and fires on the sniper once more.
This time she aims for where he has been but the irritating creature recoils from another shot and her dart goes wide.
Both Boots and her captain manage to hit the bovine sniper who grunts in annoyance. Penny heals Ben and Katherine fires another needle of distraction.
Round 5
Rather than fire his rail gun, the nuar gestures towards the bushes and gives a command. From out of the brush bursts an undead running on its hands and feet. It reaches the edge of the ravine and drops over clumsily, hitting the ground and snarling at Chase with milky-white eyes and yellowed teeth.
"Hey Katie, keep up the distraction! They actually think you're trying to hit 'em!" Talah notes as she takes aim and fires again.
Abandoning her futile efforts, Chase steps up to take out her frustration on the undead.
Or the ground, at least.
Seeing that Ben's other injury is superficial, Penny moves up next to Talah. "You've actually gotten better at that, have you been practicing?" she asks innocently as she looks at the bovine and hurts him.
Katherine switches her attention to the undead threatening Chase and fires another needle of distraction!
It plinks harmlessly off the creature's head, but did hit right between the eyes! No doubt this will distract the creature immensely!
Boots rocks the nuar back with another shot and Penny finishes him off with a subtle jab to the brain with sledgehammer-like precision. His bulky form crumples over and tumbles down into the ravine in a cascade of loose earth and rocks. Chase swings her enhanced fists at her undead foe, but only succeeds in punching holes in the ravine wall. Katherine's needle does indeed just barely bounce off one of the metal plates on the ghoul's head. Ben also redirects his shots at the remaining undead with success.
With its master defeated the ghoul attempts to flee, but is quickly cut down by a frustrated Chase.
Combat Ends!
Moving to check the fallen sniper, you're surprised to find that due to the inherent stubborness of nuar everywhere he's still breathing. In fact, you notice that he's holding a grenade! Just as you see it, his eyes open. Gurgling in his own blood, he stammers, "It's EJ Corp — you don't just get to quit."
BOOM!
Searching his remains, you gather his weapons and armor . Going through his comm unit, you find a message from an E. Reisora, directing him to eliminate you and return the Oliphaunt to them. Strangely enough they specify that, at the very least, they should get as close to you all as possible.