JIM JITSU: I wouldn't want them coming back and confronting us on their terms. What if a small party of 2-3 of us traveling light and moving fast. make an obvious trail due south. Maybe even dragging a piece of wreckage as if it was a sled loaded with equipment for a few kilometers. That party can then ditch the supposed sled and make due East for 5 kilometers before turning North. Meanwhile the rest of us head Northeast. S'lch is the fastest among us so he's part of the diversion party and he can use his drone to help us link up with the rest of you who will be moving slowing and covering your tracks. We might even use chronocoms transmitting code words and flash lights to facilitate the link up."
S'LCH: "Fast I can do. Obvious I can do. Using Vod doable. Carrying wreckage or heavy items while doing so not so much. And being covert in joining back up also less so. I'd need help with those."
JIM JITSU: Jim, "We can pick a light weight piece of wreckage from the vehicle, tie rope to it and drag it. Its my cocka-mammy plan so I'll go with you. Anyone have experience with tracking and such that can help instruct us to conceal tracks? Once we've reached an area where we think we're close we say a code word on the com 'key' and the other party can respond with 'open' meaning they are flashing a flash light to attract the drone's attention or 'locked' meaning they feel its unsafe to reveal their position. We could also use a preset time like an hour after sunset the drone will be up and the larger party can flash a flashlight south for 5 minutes."
GM: Note that covering/hiding your tracks is extremely easy since the ground is frozen rock. You have to go out of your way to leave tracks. Dragging a laden piece of metal will leave tracks that, while not visible from the air, will be visible if the pirates come back, set down, and investigate the site.
ENSIGN FURY: "I will volunteer to go with Jim and S'lch dragging a makeshift travois."
Working in the intense cold, with a wind that is picking up, the group pulls out a piece of the destroyed vehicle and piles enough stuff on it to give it enough weight to leave tracks on the frozen stone. They tie a couple of ropes to it to make a harness. Then Jim, S'lch and George take up the harness and begin dragging it off to the south. The rest of the group heads off to the northeast.
The group heading south drags the sled for a few kilometers and then ditches it. The story that the group hopes will be told is that the sled was abandoned because it was unwieldy and the group continued south. In reality, Jim, S'lch and George then head due east being careful not to leave tracks - something that is not difficult in this frozen landscape. All three are feeling very cold but not dangerously so in their survival suits with additional blankets for more protection from the intense cold. Ciara had even created additional layers for the soles of the feet to prevent heat from leaking through the icy contact with the ground. These occasionally have to be retied when they come loose.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group headed northeast. The travel over the icy, broken land for a short time and see a ridgeline up ahead. The ridge is only a dozen meters or so in height but is the first one they have seen. They head towards it cautiously picking out a few likely places to ascend. The most accessible is a break in the ridge that has tumbled into a rockslide. If they still had the vehicle, it likely could have made it up but would have required a lot of pushing.
Suddenly a moving figure becomes visible atop the ridge about a hundred meters to the right of the slide. Another follows and then another. Wishing for a pair of magngoggles or a telescope, the group strains their eyes trying to see details. Unless the approaching figures are blind, it is certain that they have seen the group.
"They don't look humanoid to me," says Alzarix. Carter nods in agreement but the rest are still unsure.
The group continues cautiously forward, trying to see them better. Meanwhile, two more figures have appeared on the ridge following the first three. The lead figure has reached the slide and is starting down. It is then that the group realizes that the figures are actually smaller figures mounted on some sort of riding beast. As they get closer, the group can see that they are alien in every way. No one in the group has ever heard of anything like them. In physical appearance, they look like hairy purple octopi mounted on small (4m tall) dinosaurs that are covered in thick, matted fur instead of scale. The purple octopi creatures are wearing various decoration on their bodies. They also wear coats made from the hides of some sort of leathery beast. For the most part, these coats are not closed or otherwise pulled tight, which allows the characters to see the octopoid bodies.
All five of the strange creatures eventually ride down the rock slide and approach the group. Jim, S'lch and George have not yet rejoined and aren't expected until after nightfall. It is only starting to get dark as the sun, unseen these many days behind dense clouds, sets in the west.
The five approach and then split to circle their group. All are armed with thick, functional spears held loosely in two of their "arms". Two other arms are idle while the remaining four act more as legs that hold the creatures onto their mounts. The creatures say nothing and no gestures of either friendship or enmity are forthcoming. Perhaps they are waiting for the group to initiate conversation?
GM: Of the people there, only Gorman has Xenology, which is probably of limited use right now. The most appropriate skills are Xenolinguistics and Communication (either the skill or the subskill under Psychology). Ensign Fury has both but is off with S'lch and Jim laying the false trail to the south.
ALZARIX: Looking around at the aliens encircling us. He puts his hands in the air palms facing towards them. “Well I guess we can either go with them if that’s what they want or freeze.”
CIARA: As the aliens approach, the young scientist gets an amazed expression on her face and looks at the others. "Of course, George isn't here for this," she sighs. "Anyone else comfortable talking to aliens? I guess I can try but this isn't my forte."
MYKEL: “How convenient that George isn’t here. My guess is that they only have experience with the pirates and are not really inclined to be friendly. The best thing so far is that they’re not just out and out attacking us so we may have a chance to convince them that we’re not pirates. How, I have absolutely no idea.”
ALYSON: She looks at the new comers and says to the group,"Just play it cool. I hope they can tell we mean them no harm."
Gorman, who has studied both xenology and exobiology, speaks up and says, "I see a pair of eyes among the hair on the face and a bit below that is a mouth. I don't see anything analogous to ears but with all of the hair on their head, they might have them but we can't discern them. I also see the mouth moving slightly on one of them but not in the manner that you would expect if they were speaking words. It's also possible that they are speaking in some form but their sounds are either ultrasonic or subsonic to the range of hearing of any of us."
After a few moments, the one that Gorman pointed out as possibly speaking takes his thick spear and places it in a scabbard on the riding beast. Then, looking at Alzarix, it begins moving its four of its limbs (the two that had held the spear and the two that were idle) in a complicated fashion that appears to be some attempt at non-verbal communication. None of the movements mean anything to the group.
When no one in the group reacts in a manner that would indicate that they understood the communications of the creature, it tries a simpler tact. It takes a single limb, which by now everyone can see ends in five smaller "fingers", and points to the group and then points to the the ridge a couple hundred meters away. Then it points to itself and the other four creatures. Finally it points to the ridge again. The group interprets this to mean that they should head towards the ridge and the creatures will also head towards the ridge. Since the ridge looks like it will provide good cover from the icy wind that is slowly freezing everyone as the sun sinks below the horizon, the group decides to comply. The creatures have not acted overtly hostile and, even so, the group has advanced weapons and outnumbers the aliens.
ALARIX: Nodding his head, yes, he repeats the signs back to him and them he turns to the group and gestures to them so the Aliens can see it and say, “Well it looks like they want us to go over there for the night.”
The five aliens head towards the ridge and the leader indicates that the group should follow. When they reach the area at the bottom of the cliff that forms the ridge, the creatures stop. The leader points to the group and then points to a sheltered area a short distance away. Then he points to himself and his fellows and points to another sheltered area about a hundred meters to the north. This works out well for the group as their location is to the south of the aliens so it should allow Jim, George and S'lch to find them without going past the aliens. The rockslide that leads to the top of the cliff is about halfway between the two locations.
The creatures turn north and head to the area they indicated. They dismount and begin setting up camp. The group does likewise, looking forward to warming up inside the tents and under blankets.
The group sets up camp. As they are completing the set up, they hear sounds from the top of the cliff and see a dozen or more of the dinosaur-mounted aliens appear and head down the tumbled rocks. The dinosaurs step and, in some cases, leap down the slide and turn north. They join with the original five and create a larger camp. With the new arrivals, there appear to be about twenty of the aliens total.
Meanwhile, Jim, George and S'lch have headed east for about five kilometers. They turn north as the sun finally sinks below the horizon and darkness begins to settle in. After traveling a kilometer or so, they see a cliff face a short distance away to the northeast. It runs generally from the southeast but takes a northerly turn at the point where the three spot it. They head towards it and follow it along the base where they are somewhat sheltered from the freezing wind. An hour and a half later they see lights up ahead at the base of the cliff. They decide to risk the chronocom with a short code word that was worked out earlier. The response is a similar code word to proceed and, immediately thereafter, a brief flash of brighter light from the base of the cliff but to the south of the other lights.
Ten minutes later, Jim, George and S'lch rejoin the rest of the group, who have established their camp without lights. Ciara takes the lead in telling them of their encounter with the aliens camped a hundred meters to the north. |