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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Apr 2010 : 15:47:54
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The shuttle had been pre-loaded for immediate departure, so there is little time for last minute changes. Most of the equipment you wanted had already been loaded aboard. Some items you had hoped for, including extra defensive suits, screens, and powerclips are not available. Lt Paddock also kept the greater part of the weapons locker contents, but hid the weapons in various parts of the ship.
You climb aboard the atomic drive shuttle, walking past a hover transport, ground tansport and various supplies that are firmly secured to the deck, and then take your seats. The pilot and copilot strap in, close the airlock door and engage the engine. Soon you are accelerating away from the Pan-Galactic.
You try to sleep for most of the 9 hour trip, but have difficulty when the shuttle begins decelerating at greater than 1g. The shuttle finally enters the atmosphere of the third planet and the pilot brings it down near the source of the rotating beacon signal. Hovering now at about 300 meters altitude, you circle over a rocky penninsula that juts out from the main continent into the vast ocean. Looking out your portholes, you can see what looks like a small city built near the tip of the penninsula. Four large pyramid structures stand in the city center surrounded by smaller buildings. On the high ground above the city, on a rocky height, stands a dome structure that appears to be the source of the beacon signal. There even seems to be some sort of road network going from the city to the beacon and then further inland along the peninsula, and possibly something like a defensive perimeter wall between the city and the mainland.
Using an IR scope, your pilot reports that the city is not showing any heat sources or signs of life. Then something near the beacon dome catches his eye. "I can see a heat source! looks like an engine cooling off...just off to the side of the dome there!"
You are flying below a cloud layer with a light mist of rain around you now and the local time is about two hours before sunset. The Pan-Galactic is due to arrive in orbit above you in ten hours.
[The shuttle and its cargo are listed under the Vehicles section. The hover transport and ground transport are listed just a few posts above. Everyone has been issued more pistol ammo from another locker in security. This has been added to your character records.]
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Edited by - beowulf on 20 May 2010 17:53:03 |
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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2010 : 17:28:52
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[I'm reposting Fragz last post here...]
Fragz OOC: was it possible to mount our heavy weapons to the transports and tap into their power source during the flight? Cha'kki will recommend that to Zagon early in the flight if we can backpost like that
Cha'kki wonders if the atmosphere will allow them to go out without space suits. "What's outside like Mav" he asks.
Cha'kki looks at each individual aboard the shuttle, hoping they have rested well. He has a feeling rest may not be so easy to come by in the days ahead. During the flight Cha'kki could be seen practicing with his new sonic sword, getting used to its weight in his hands.
He wonders about the city and its inhabitants or lack therof. Something is out there. He thinks back to his confinement by the Sathar and tries to remember if any of the city buildings resemble anything he saw while held captive.
"How we go from here?" He asks the group. "Maybe 2 hover cycle scouts take look for us?
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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
Posted - 09 Apr 2010 : 17:44:23
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[note: The shuttle's cargo bay was not in a favorable orientation for most of the past nine hour flight (the engine is mounted in the rear), so you didn't have a chance to fasten tripods to the roof of either vehicle until you leveled off in the atmosphere just now. You may be able to rig one of the heavy weapons up with the laser powertorch backpack, but you have no other powerbackpacks. Also, Cha'kki wasn't able to find a sonic sword, unfortunately.]
"The air is fine...breathable and healthy. No toxins or radiation detected." The pilot checks his readouts. "Just a little rain."
Cha'kki does recall that the sathar sometimes built pyramid shaped artifacts, but other races have been known to build pyramids as well. The four pyramid shaped buildings you see in the city center could have been built by anyone. |
Edited by - beowulf on 09 Apr 2010 17:48:09 |
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Shadow Shack
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 00:46:54
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quote:
Using an IR scope, your pilot reports that the city is not showing any heat sources or signs of life. Then something near the beacon dome catches his eye. "I can see a heat source! looks like an engine cooling off...just off to the side of the dome there!"
"Aye, could it be that long winded pal o' ours, Jack LaGrange? Let's try to touch down near that heat source." |
 Riding Free in the Frontier: FTH --- Forever Three Hoverfans!
See my SF page at http://starfrontiers.20m.com |
Edited by - Shadow Shack on 14 Apr 2010 00:47:34 |
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simple
USA
323 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 13:58:25
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Billow grows more and more excited as they reach the planets surface; soft grass, running water and... His thoughts are interrupted by the rude pilot who announces a city and heat.
"Oh...." Mind snaps back to the present.
"Good choice, maybe I can track him before he reaches his final destination. You know he is getting ready for something knowing the ship is on it's way."
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Robo-w00t giving you a WhatFor!
http://starfrontiers.us/user/22 |
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Fragz
38 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 15:24:11
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Cha'kki powers up with a light snack and drink. Sensing that FISH and CHIPS is on the menu, Cha'kki will wait for everyone else to restock from the weapons locker and based on availablity will grab grenades (3 of each) when the shuttle lands.
"Mav, land so that we can overlook the city and road with the shuttle IR scope. We should have a spotter or two keep an eye on the city, roads and shuttle instruments while we check out the dome structure." |
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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 16:01:34
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Your pilot brings the shuttle in smoothly, circling around the dome structure and touching down on an area of flat rock less than 200 meters from the dome and at a slightly lower elevation. Through your portholes, you recognize the heat source as Legrange's escape vehicle which you had seen earlier in the Pan-Galactic's parking deck airlock. Jack Legrange is nowhere in sight.
Your pilot cracks the shuttle's cargo bay airlock open, lowering the vehicle ramp. A fresh cool sea breeze wafts into your seating area as you unstrap your safety harnesses. You notice that the rain has just stopped, but the cloud layer remains.
"This is the closest I could get to the dome," your pilot says. "You'll have to walk or drive the last 150+ meters yourselves up along that old highway just off to our right."
Cha'kki begins scrounging for grenades while the pilot talks.
[You are now physically on the ground, so you can get out and walk around anywhere you wish.] |
Edited by - beowulf on 14 Apr 2010 16:14:42 |
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simple
USA
323 Posts |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 20:12:40
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Billow will search the immediate area becoming familiar with the terrain, then help the other unload the vehicles.
"Guys, do we want to walk or take a vehicle to search the city?" |
Robo-w00t giving you a WhatFor!
http://starfrontiers.us/user/22 |
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Fragz
38 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2010 : 16:17:16
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Cha'kki will suggest to Zagon that if we can tap into the power source of the vehicles we get started with mounting one of the heavy weapons on a truck.
"We are losing the light," he says taking note of the fading sun. "Recommend set up defense position and check out dome. City below us and can be watched by shuttle IR scope." Perhaps small group stay here and other group check out dome."
Cha'kki will talk with Mav and Goos about keeping an eye on the city and road with the Shuttle IR scope. |
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Shadow Shack
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2010 : 22:12:05
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| Zagon will access the transport parabatteries. "Seems the terrain is rocky for the most part, judging from the overview when we were landing. I suggest we wire the ground truck a it's better suited to such travel." |
Riding Free in the Frontier: FTH --- Forever Three Hoverfans!
See my SF page at http://starfrontiers.20m.com |
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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2010 : 09:11:55
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[If you mount a heavy weapon on the ground truck, which will it be? ...the heavy laser or sonic devastator? ...and describe how you mount it. Which tools do you use? You have techkits and a laser power torch.]
Mav and Goos (your pilot and co-pilot) agree to stay in the shuttle, standing watch and keeping the engines warm in case you need to take off in a hurry. "You can go with the rest of the group Cha'kki. You would just get bored standing around the shuttle anyhow," the pilot says. "There are still no heat sources showing up in the city below us, by the way."
You unsecure the ground truck and back it down the shuttle offload ramp. The ground transport seems to handle well on the rocky ground. As Zagon is doing this, Billow sees movement out at sea in the distance.
Billow steps up onto an elevated slab of rock to get a better view of the sea. With his sensitive Yazirian eyes, he can make out what looks like the back of a huge sea creature about 2 kilometers away breaching the surface through the waves. Just the visible portion of the creature's back
is almost as large as your shuttle craft (30 meters long) Billow guesses. Suddenly a huge spout of water and mist sprays up at least 20 meters from some blowhole on the creature, and soon after this a large flock of sea birds gathers over the creature's back. |
Edited by - beowulf on 16 Apr 2010 09:15:11 |
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Fragz
38 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2010 : 15:25:32
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OOC: assuming what Billow sees is repeated to the party
"Ugh!" Cha'kki gasps in displeasure. He barely conceals his secret fear of water. He imagines himself underwater hanging onto a giant hook while that huge creature swims at him with mouth open wide. "Slap me if I try to go swimming here!" he says in an attempt to lighten up.
Cha'kki makes sure his friends Mav and Goos have a way to communicate with him if they need to. If they do not have chronocoms he will take one radiophone and leave the other with them. "Mav to tower, requesting flyby" says Mav. "Loud and clear," says Cha'kki,"and that's a negative!" Goos rolls his eyes.
Cha'kki will assist Zagon if he needs help mounting a weapon on the ground transport. Thinking it was a good idea but not sure the best way to do it he will leave the details to Zagon and try to pick up some pointers on the use of whatever tools Zagon uses. If Zagon would rather work alone he will get an eta on how long Zagon thinks it will take and start thinking about scouting ahead to the dome structure. "Do your sharp eyes see anything up this way Mr. Billow" he says pointing to the dome structure. |
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simple
USA
323 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2010 : 16:08:49
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"No worries about water Cha'kki, but if that's the size of the sea creature, most likely the land creatures are sized in comparison."
OOC: Can Billow extract soil, rock and flora samples to get a better idea of the environment while the techs are working on the weapon mounts? |
Robo-w00t giving you a WhatFor!
http://starfrontiers.us/user/22 |
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beowulf
USA
686 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2010 : 17:54:18
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[Billow can use the envirokit from the shuttle if he didn't have one already. He sees mostly volcanic rock, moss and possibly some bird droppings at his present location.
Mav and Goos both have chronocoms and the shuttle's videocom radio, so staying in contact should not be a problem.] |
Edited by - beowulf on 16 Apr 2010 18:33:33 |
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Shadow Shack
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2010 : 06:52:54
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"Aye, the devastator is great fun but short on range, I say we go with the hevy laser."
Zagon will cut a hole aft of the cab with the LPT for the mock swivel mount, and use the excess "disc" left over to fashion the mount with (what is the exterior/skin made of? I'll assume some form of futuristic ABS plastic). If he has access to a RobCom kit he will borrow a sonic scalpel from it and mate it to a caliper from the same kit via plastibond and use this to cut a circumfrential groove around the opening, both on top and underneath for a tracked surface. From the excess material (the cut out disc) he will fashion a pair of U-shaped pieces, one with the opening horizontal (facing "north") and plastibonded to the other with the opening vertical (with the tabs onteh east and west based on the "north" relation of the bottom piece). The clamp will be pressed together over the grooves with some ball bearings (if there are any we can salvage), holes will be cut into the east/west prongs of the top U piece to run a prybar through as a pivot for the heavy weapon, running through its corresponding pivot/tripod mount area. Assuming the prybar has one end curved, we'll use electrical wire wound around the opposite end to retain the prybar from sliding out when in use.
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Riding Free in the Frontier: FTH --- Forever Three Hoverfans!
See my SF page at http://starfrontiers.20m.com |
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Fragz
38 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2010 : 15:42:03
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Cha'kki is impressed with the methodical manner in which Zagon gets the heavy laser mounted,"Wow, good choice my friend!"
"Mr. Billow, what do you make of these droppings, can you tell if these are nomal sized birds if they are indeed birds? Whats it look like they are eating?" asks Cha'kki a bit shaken by Billows comments about the size of things.
"You guys mentioned a Mr LaGrange, what sort of character is he? Are we going to find him in order to question him or does he need to eat some sandwiches," Cha'kki asks smacking his fists together. |
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The Story, Part 4: Planetfall
