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Re: Interactive Story - LARP/MMORG for the whole CofI to join in, if you like or dare

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Owen and Panthera quickly assemble a makeshift stretcher, although it is clear moving this person is likely to cause pain and suffering (1D3 dmg) in addition to whatever other injuries caused by the impact and mysterious and miscellaneous events leading up to him jumping from a lifeboat. Judging from the path cleared in the snow the only way to escape a catastrophic impact was to use the Re-Entry kit. So perhaps, it was not a life raft but some sort of recreational raft that would have allowed it to escape the gravity well of a good-sized world.

Outside, Socrates is cursing as he shows the problem is not only that the vehicle has capsized but a piece of metal has wedged itself into the crankshaft.

A FORMIDABLE MECHANICAL task to fix the vehicle, taking THREE HOURS with a DIFFICULT, INTelligence to figure out a way to raise the vehicle.

Naturally, Socrates opts "we could always call the Imperium for help but with you being fugitives," he wouldn't suggest that the Search & Rescue nor Law Enforcement agencies would provide the warmest of welcome.

"We had best do these things for our selves." He relates how once he got trapped in a sinkhole and it was only his intelligences and quick thinking that got him out but it meant that he had to dump a ton of ore.

Fortunately, it is still high noon but soon (in about ONE HOUR & HALF)the moon is going to swing around the other side of the Brown Dwarf which will mean a substantial drop in temperatures combined with possible freezing.

Owen is shrugging his shoulders even in this gravity, it is impossible to lift the vehicle out even if they all pitch in.

Looming, long dark shadows appear in the horizon. The "pod's" light winks in the distance and the winds whip around the players outside and howls like the cry of the windigo. As the temperature outside begins to drop. Within two hours, even work in Hostile Environment Suits will become impaired.
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Owen and Panthera gingerly lift the injured figure on the makeshift stretcher and take him inside the vehicle. They try to lay him down as gently as possible but can’t avoid jarring him slightly which causes him to cry out as his eyes flick open in amazement. Very slowly, he begins speaking:

“Thought I was dreaming but there really was a vehicle…. I can’t begin to thank you…. My name’s Felix, Felix Concorda …” and Felix haltingly proceeds to retell his tale following the events on the Pride of Naasirka.

“So I’ve been hiding in that crater for who knows how long. I tried to make my way out once but then I saw him. Off, in the distance. At first I thought it was another survivor or a rescue team sent to find me but then I realised – he wasn’t wearing any suit and those weren’t furs hanging off him – that was his own fur. I saw him sniffing the air and he started towards me. He was huge. Way taller than a normal man and his eyes were completely in shadow from an overhanging brow. I hunkered down in the crater for hours just waiting for him to get me but he must have got distracted that time. But I’m telling you, man, there’s something out there. He’s definitely out there!”

Felix gets more and more agitated as he speaks, eventually becoming wild and screaming, “HE’S OUT THERE! HE’S OUT THERE! GET HIM OFF ME! GET HIM OFF ME!”

As Felix screams and thrashes in some kind of fit, Julianne, thinking quickly, rummages through the med-kit and strips a couple of sedative patches off their wrapper. Urging Franklin to hold Felix down, she manages to get the patches on Felix’s neck. After a few more seconds of writhing, Felix’s eyes roll back and he subsides. He gradually falls into an uneasy sleep, fidgeting and occasionally muttering, “Definitely something out there…”
 
"Critters!? Soc, are there any critters this far out? I don't remember any mention of critters in my induction pack."

She grips her ice axe for reassurance.

"Erm, I hope someone here is armed....?"

After regaining her composure she asks Socrates if he needs to do anything to secure the vehicle for the night - it looks like there's not going to be enough light to do anything else, and she doesn't want to take any chances with nightfall.
 
Frank grips the mans arms and legs firmly as the work on the man continues...

"Try to get him to stop screaming. I've only got my springblade. I am not sure if that is effective against bigfeet."
 
Ref says:
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Socrates responds over the com, "Nope. No critters out here. Radiation would fry them and cold would put into deep freeze. That's not counting the bacteria, that there is. Some us, miners, claim that there is some sort of creature out here but nothing could survive very long. Mostly just stories. What I need is to figure out how to fix this thing, does nobody in this car have any SKILL or do I got do everything myself?"

"Plus, our impact has created a crack in the ice, if we don't get out soon, we will be frozen here. Not a bad thing, but as we turn away from the Brown Dwarf tidal forces will cause the water to lap round us creating an extra layer and when we come around sunny side that will cause some buckling which can cause us to crack like an egg." Socrates broadcasts over the general com.

"Now, I suggest that you put your heads together and come up with something, as it is not my intention to fry here. Damn,its cold. FRAK, the ice is already starting shift!" cries out Socrates

Walter starts to obsessively rock back and forth, his eyes have gone white and his teeth are chattering.

Owen is trying to search through the onboard toolkit for something that might free the wheels from the ice. "Panthera, just don't stand around, give me the god damn axe or start swinging, you heard the man. We have to at least wheels clear whilst we figure out how move the body of this vehicle. Let the others tend to crash test dummy, unless you have some sort of medical expertise."

Burns and scraps cover Felix's body and possible fracture or at least a twisted ankle. There is not a Med scanner on board but given the limpness of the muscle, it would indicate something is wrong.

More and more stars come winking into existence, as the light of the brown dwarf becomes ever more diminished. There is a momentary pause in the wind before it resumes again this time, it seems to bringing with it snow. Inside the vehicle there is sound of tides gushing against the outer hull. Some creaking but otherwise stable. The digital thermometer confirms that the temperature is dropping at a very rapid rate. Panels on the dashboard are flashing warning signals, letting the players know that some pretty nasty weather is rapidly approaching.

There is a howl from Socrates, as he cuts his hands on the twisted piece of metal.

The wind is now gusting at 50 kmh, the vehicle is becoming encased with snow, sleet and ice. The ice pellets are cutting into player's suits causing short tears that the auto reseal is having a difficult time keeping up with the repair...possibly, due to the dropping temperatures.
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Franklin ooks down on the impaled crankshaft

"I do not think we will have time to fix the vehicle before we die of exposure. I'll need at least three hours. We will need to get to shelter or make one soon..."
 
"I have a confession to make. Before I die. My real name is M. Benjamin. Franklin is an assumed name of a Nestmate I travel under. I responded favorably to "Ben" "Benny" or "Benjy" as well among those I consider comrades. I just wanted you to know this."

OOC: Sorry, but I need to differentiate between the Franklin in the "Working Passage" campaign on downport. Please use "Benjamin" or its variants in reference to my character from now on. We can chalk the switch up to Hiver wierdness.
 
Ref says:
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Benny sees the winking light of the Pod in the distance. The snow is getting really intense now. A trek across now would be rated DIFFICULT to avoid the pressures and ruptures from the influence of the tides underneath if someone were to attempt to ski across the gullies.

Looking at the crankshaft again, Owen comments if we work together we could negate some of the problems of making this a HASTY task. The problem is that: "I ain't that good with my hands, so I can assist." (Only a JoI-1).

The patron at the sight of Socrates' blood has become to howl. Socrates is banging on the airlock as his hands have been rendered inoperative. In this cold, there is a danger of frostbite and amputation would be the only recourse, if not treated immediately.

Felix is also starting to come around but his injuries have thus far been left untreated by Julianne and is looking rather expectantly at her and questioning her inaction amidst the crises that have beset the party.

There is a grinding as the whole vehicle begins to shift. In this environment, the only safe place is the vehicle. Outside the temperature continues to drop. The sleet is coming down a much a more rapid pace now. Socrates is gesturing to the underbelly where a human mechanical tool kit is housed.

"Only if had some sort of grav props. Let me, inside, dammit, you damn tourists. Professional trouble-shooters, my hairy ass. Frakin' amateurs…@#$%^ Next time, “cries out Socrates in-between the howls of pain.

Looking over at the patron, "Walter, here is also in a bad way. He used to be so good when it came to reporting. Whoever did this to him, you guys better have the wherewithal to make them pay when the time comes. Otherwise, better die out here now." looking directly at the rather pathetic lump of tentacles. (OOC: Nothing personal but trying to portray great cynicism accurately is hard without being a tad insulting.)
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The icy winds are frosting over the icy rain providing a transparent glaze that is quickly layering over the Scuttlebug.

“Melters, hit the damn melters but be sure not to run them too long, otherwise, I hope you packed your swimming trunks…Let me, inside, dammit, you damn tourists. Professional trouble-shooters, my hairy ass. Frakin' amateurs…@#$%^ Next time…” cries out Socrates.

Out in the white wilderness, an inhuman cry can be heard. Is it the wind? In the distant gloom and the shadows lengthen further, a dusk is slowly settling. With that the wind is diminishing, however, not the snowstorm leading to a near whiteout condition.

The unfriendliness and unrelenting environment is only beginning to show its face. For in approximately, an hour and a half, full night will descend. The stars twinkle almost mockingly down providing some light through the gloom. It becomes apparent that the snow is being whipped from the ground, being heavy in certain elements and mildly acidic begins to eat away at the fabrics in all but the toughest of the Hostile Environment Suits. (OOC: Ask Panthera who received the highest quality suit(s))
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Felix gradually returns to consciousness as the morphine-analogue begins to wear off. The dull ache in his leg begins to throb, then turn to pain. He manages to pull himself into a sitting position by a window of the vehicle where he huddles by one of the heater vents with a metallised blanket wrapped round him. He ponders why it’s called a “brown” dwarf as this one has a deep crimson colour, with yellow cloud striating the surface. Towards one polar region, a storm, which must be hundreds of kilometres across, floats menacingly. As the eclipse progresses, the colour steadily drains out of the view. An odd stillness hangs in the air as even the wind seems to drop. Felix feels the air in the heater cool for a second and then warm again as the system tries to compensate for the falling temperature.

Suddenly, he hears a howl on the wind. “That’s it! That’s exactly the sound I heard when I saw that … thing out there. I told you I saw something. And believe me, it was big. Reckon it could get inside this pile of tin without much trouble,” he says looking anxiously at the thin walls of the vehicle. “After all I’ve been through, I never thought it would end this way.”

Felix sounds on the verge of hysterics but a slight shift of his leg causes him to gasp and catch himself. “Hey Julianne! You seem to know a tendon stapler from a bone saw. Mind having a look at my leg? It hurts like hell and I can’t seem to move my toes much…”
 
Benjamin watches Felix's pain-contorted face with great interest before turning away, drawing a strange looking set of devices from various tool pouches.

"I am going to begin repairs on the vehicle now. If you can. If anyone can. Please assist if possible. Or assist me. If the ship is not repairable I will move on to stabilizing our environment. Does anyone have a flare-gun or other such signaling device?"
 
Ref says:
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As Benny leaves the airlock, Socrates nearly knocks him over in the interval. Racing over to the medkit takes the healing salve with his teeth and smears it all over his hands. "Girl, have you made bandages? If so, start applying them here."

Looking down at Felix's leg... "Hmm, looks broken to me. Take some of those poles from back there and we can create a splint. Or it might simply be twisted? I ain't no Doctor, but he'll live."

In the meantime, he is rummaging underneath the co-pilot's seat and tosses a flare gun over to Panthera. "Here give that to the Hiver. Mighty dangerous over the ice outside, if he is going to attempt to over to Pod out there he might not get back. That would take an experienced skier. I wonder if the pod's grav modules are intact? They might also have some additional supplies."

Upon hearing the moving of water against the Winnebago's hull, Socrates, exclaims, "Frak, that ain't good, we had better do things HASTY otherwise things around here could get quite nasty."

Owen in the meantime is turning his attention to using the blowtorch to clear an area around the wheels. The snow and cold is getting really intense that his visor keeps getting frosted over. Making every task TWO TIMES more difficult. Finally he manages the clear the wheels to see that when the vehicle turned over it embedded itself into the ice. The blowtorch might as well be a cigarette lighter and something more powerful will be needed to clear that.

In the meantime, the patron/reporter/Walter has wandered off somewhere amongst the white curtain that has descended around the encampment.
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Ben holds the flaregun before him before putting it on his bandolier. He hands Owen a Camera feebly.

"Owen. You must be hands for this. Already getting sick. Suit insufficent protection for me. Will direct telemechanically. Hurry. Do not like this planet much. Was foolish. Thought vehicle's quaintness meant better effectiveness. This is why Ground vehicles stink."
 
"Frell this is bad!", shouts Panthera as she jumps down from the overhang above the crash site.

"There might be something out there. Saw movement on the Binox, a moving heat signature, but it was gone in an instant."

She quickly breaks out some of her gear from the accessible hatch on the upturned vehicle.

"That pod over there is resting on an ice gravel shale, the frost above has a high albedo - we can take shelter there if we hurry."

OOC: Panthera has scouted the ridge for an easier route to the pod. To get there:- 10 + 2(Skiing) + 4(Dex/3) = 16. To get back 9 + 2(Skiing) +4(Dex/4) = 15

"I've set flares marking the safest path to the pod; there's a rope for the last 20 metres."

She glances at the carnage of the vehicle, the injured and gibbering people: it seems only Owen and Frank (or is that Benny) are capable of helping. She starts rapidly assembling her rig to carry casualties.

Down her comm she screams: "COME ON YOU MOTHERFECKING DREN-FER-BRAINS LUMPS OF RANCID MEAT, GET YOUR ARSES IN GEAR WE NEED TO GET MOVING!!!!!!"
 
Ben scrambles out first, brushing past or knocking over anyone in his way. Deploying his Reflec shield, He uses it like an umbrella and runs up the flare path to shelter. Ben shouts back in the snow:

"Leave them. If they cannot make it. You must leave them."

(OOC: Does survival skill help for any of this?)

He still directs Owen in repairs, and with his free attention begins to write his will.
 
Ref says:
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Panthera reaches the Pod. It is pretty well wasted and would never fly again however some of the grav modules seem to be in working order. (Interference from the Brown Dwarf impedes her signal getting through to the others).

Perhaps, with another set of hands and skis (which you do not have) parts of the engines could be salvaged to melt some of the ice around the Winnebago.

Furthermore, there is a fully stocked Medkit on board along with 3 charred bodies evidence of the hatch being opened sometime prior to re-entry into the atmosphere. Looking carefully she notices that there are holes in the back of their heads.

A venerable wall of snow has blocked the course back, as the flares are no longer visible in the total whiteout conditions. (Panthera may grab one of the above items and no more and roll to make it back safely.)

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Owen fumbles around (for an hour and half) with the tools and manages to prey out the metal has been stuck in the vehicle and is commencing with basic repairs.

As he is lacking the expertise of a fully trained mechanic it will mean that the speed of the vehicle will be impaired plus it will lose some of its amphibian qualities. The axle will hold perhaps for now.

-----------------------

A dark snowy creature begins to bang on the front windshield. The cry is inhuman.

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Benny falls into a gully. His survival instinct directs him back to the vehicle but the snow is blinding. He sees that snow has a mildly acidic quality that is eroding the protection of his vacc suit and the reflec armour is no protection at all against the relentless bearing down of charged particles from the Brown Dwarf. "Am I to die here?" Suddenly there is a strong arm lifts him up and carries him back to the vehicle.

"Damn it, Frank, I mean Benny or whatever, it is dangerous out here. Get back in here where you can be useful." the figure removes the helmet of the suit revealing Julianne's angry and flustered face.

"We don't leave anyone behind. We are all in this together, whether we like or not. Holy Frak, has nobody noticed that the Patron has gone missing?" says Julianne.

Her face turns white as she turns to the windscreen, "My God, help him. OWEN!"
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Panthera grabs the medkit and starts back.

OOC: to return - roll 9 + 4(Dex) + 2(Skiing) = 15

Halfway back she scans quickly with her binox on IR. If the creaure shows up, she attempts to comm.

"HEY, THAT CRITTER THAT DOESN'T EXIST IS BANGING ON THE WINDSHIELD! I'M ON MY WAY BACK...."

She grips hold of the flare pistol Scrates gave her a little tighter, and continues back as quickly as poss.

If she can't see the creature when she scans she continues on oblivious.
 
Ref says:
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Julianne snatches the medkit from Panthera's outstretched hands. "Well? Was there anything else useful out there? I don't want to have to send you out twice as I know with that snow it will be TWICE AS DIFFICULT as the first time."

Running the medical scanner over Felix's leg, "You're lucky it seems to be only a fracture." applies a quick dry cast around the leg..."It will be as good as new in about a week or so. In the meantime, we can rummage through this wreck for something that we can use crutches." spying to surveyor masts, "There this ought to do it."

"Owen, can you read, weather is getting worse before it is getting better. Can you build up some sort of perm with the tenting that we have from in here?" asks Julianne over the com.

"That's a negative." Owen replies, "Our only hope is to get this tin can in motion."

Julianne then turns to Socrates, "Ok, this is your can, got any ideas?" as she painfully stretches out the man's fingers and wraps individual wads of bandages from the Pod's kit.

Socrates is too busy screaming from the pain and doesn't bother to reply.

Owen pipes in there are the Grav Modules from the Pod and we must have some sort of small explosives on this wreck. No guarantee that it won't to more harm than good. If we position them right it could spring the vehicle back up or conversely could just cause it to fall over on the other side. In principle it would work the same as a TDX and if there are enough modules we could place them on the other side to act as stabilizers. We just need to find someone who is crazy to burrow a tunnel in this ice and place the charges and modules."

"I'll do it. After all, my life is pretty worthless as it is. Especially after what THEY have done to me." says the patron in a low voice.
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