Anson: I suppose i don't have a choice. How long will you take?
Anson waits for them to leave.
Thune opens a com-link, apparently with whoever is left behind aboard the other vessel, while the pair from the air-raft, also sporting the familiar metallic tattoos, enter.
Thune: Yeah. Georg is kinda messed up. I think it would be best if we left Thaya behind with him. Yeah. The doc had to give him some heavy duty pain meds. I know. It can't be helped.
Anson eyes the pair but doesn't do anything except continue observing.
Thaya protests, but grudgingly agrees to stay behind. The others gather their things, and file through The Luis Wu's airlock.
Anson looks at Thaya, examining them. Options are limited, especially with someone keeping a look-out, but hopefully watching over the doctor and Georg should allow Boone privacy for whatever he was doing.
still making the bomb sniffer!!
Thaya: I'll need the key to the ship's locker! .
If you remember Thune secured your weapons in the ship's locker.
Thaya (becoming angry): Fineline! The keys! Now!
Anson hands over the keys after some fumbling.
Thaya makes a show of locking the ship's locker, and then, with Georg glumly following, she retreats to the one of the second level state-rooms.
Anson goes to check on Doctor Feldspar and to inform her of what happened before she arrived with Georg on the bridge.
Anson: I'm at a loss as to what to do aside from wait. I'd like to try contacting someone here for aid, but I'm hesitant to do so due to the war going on as well as the fact that the pirates are monitoring us. We might as well make some plans, however, and I believe you said something about the pharma-trees here in Engarno being able to reproduce the serum?
Anson uses the passive sensors but doesn't do communication. That kind of thing is best left to Eli.
Eli takes his 'bomb sniffer' to the bridge to tell Anson about it. If he happens to pass the Doctor on the way, he will ask her to join him as well. He makes sure they are alone when he presents the contraption to the group.
"now we can sweep the ship and locate any explosives they may have hidden aboard!"
Fineline: Making a sweep out to a km, you detect nothing. Now, within an atmosphere, the sensors have a range out to 200 km, but to use them at that resolution would require the skill.
Boone: I'm going to spoiler your roll, so no peeking!
Doing the main-level, the only 'hits' you get are for the cargo-hold, and the serum pallets. I assume you're also going to do the state-room level? The detector is not something you can hide quickly if Thayla and Georg decide to leave their room.
yes please...I expected the bombs there...which is good because I hope that shows the contraption is working correctly!!
Gingerly you ascend the ladder to the state-room level, with your detector tucked under your arm.
Slowly, you begin making your way down the corridor, all the while watching the door to the room that Thayla and Georg have appropriated.
Ever so slowly you make your way down the short-hallway.
Boone: Dam it! It appears that in ascending the ladder to the stateroom level, the power leads on your home-made bomb detector got dislodged!
In the state-room that Georg and Thayla have retreated to, you hear the pair arguing.
looking at his device, Boone attempts to discover what is wrong and repair it.
Boone: Make a sensors test, to repair the 'bomb-sniffer'.
Aurora: If you want to be with Boone, you can be certainly be with him.
Anson remains on the bridge, keeping a passive scan. He tries to find out more about the current political situation in the area if able to do so without triggering any alarms.
Monitoring the standard com frequencies, Anson realizes that their landing was widely noted: there's immense chatter about two space craft touching down in Pournelle Valley.
Sensors:
"Doctor, keep an eye out while I try to fix this stupid thing. Cough or something if someone is coming."
Anson continues to remain on standby with nothing new to alert him. He looks up any relevant information on Pournelle Valley.
Aurora does as she is instructed.
Boone: There is a faint reading for the occupied state-room.
Feldspar: Did you hear Georg angrily say "We can't just strand them here!"
Eli motions to the doctor towards the state-room.
.
Fineline: This planet is largely undeveloped, and the Pournelle Valley is pretty much uninhabited. There is a large 'correctional' facility, about 70 km. from your position, you guess, which is where the Dynasts used to send many of their political prisoners.
Eli whispers to the doctor.
"We need to get them out of there so I can do a complete sweep. Any ideas?"
Anson continues to keep track of chatter as he tries to search for other nearby areas of interest. He particularly looks for places he could get sanctuary in and where pharmatrees are located so he knows where to drive the ship if the need arises.
Feldspar: You clearly hear Georg say "Enough! I got to get some un-recycled air!"
Aurora whispers to Eli, "They're talking about stranding us. We've got to do something!"
Let's have dexterity tests for both Feldspar and Boone.
Dex:
Georg angrily storms into the state-room hallway, running straight into a flat-footed Boone.
George looks like he is going to ask Boone what the hell he is doing, but instead he smiles grimly and hurries down the state-room hallway.
Fineline, you're in the bridge, monitoring the com bands, when Georg enters. He tells you that he's going to stretch his legs outside.
"Thaya will have the detonator," he calmly tells you.
Eli whispers to Aurora
"We need to get into the locker and get our weapons if we hope to get free of these people. Come on!"
He heads back to where their weapons are stored and examines the locker.
Anson nods to Georg.
Boone is having difficulties locating the right tools to use to try and force the ship's locker door; the locker being a kind of a mini-vault.
Eli searches his tool belt for just the right item to help him pop the lock on the weapons locker.
Mechanic:
Boone is able to open the door on the locker, and apparently there's no alarm or 'surprises'.
Georg (on his com link): Hey, Fineline, are there any dangerous predators on this planet?
Anson (comms): Let me check.
Anson brings up a new search for predators dangerous to humans in the area.
Boone gathers his weapons, as well as those for the Doctor and Anson. Once he is armed, he creeps back into the stateroom area and re-activates his bomb-sniffer.