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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 22, 2010 19:27:16 GMT -8
Dexter shrugs but keeps his eyes steady on the approaching group. He says, "Dunno, but they look pretty decided to me" except with his mouth full of food, it sounds more like "Buffo, bah vey fook preffy refiveb foo be..."
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Post by brendur on Sept 22, 2010 20:22:30 GMT -8
At the sight of food Tom becomes an empty pit waiting to be filled, trying a bit of everything for good measure, and really giving the plantains a go for their money. Somehow he pierces the language barrier and initiates an eating contest with one of the wider specimens of the tribe, half-way through cramming one of the fried bananas in his mouth when the elders assemble.
Tom swallows quickling grins about as wide as their crocodile did at the oncoming entourage, stowing the tooth away in a pouch.
"Lovely spread here, any more croc to go round?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 22, 2010 21:39:04 GMT -8
The villagers fall silent as their chief approaches, but they still crowd in on all sides and in the end a human circle is formed, with the chief's group and Bethesda's crew in the center. A hush falls upon the villagers and for a time only the intermittent low crackle of the cookfire can be heard.
Ki-Rav takes a step forward and raises his hands over his head. At once the villagers in the ring drop to their haunches and sit, eyes on their leader. Maximillian eases himself into the sand as well. "Ye can stay up." he murmurs, with a nod and a small smile.
Jura-Vi draws in a significant breath and begins to speak, his deep voice carrying easily over the assemble as he orates for perhaps twenty seconds. In the murmuring that follows Kima-Ek steps forward, translating in a softer voice.
"Jura-Vi say he take you to hunt Kan-Echa. He say you finish test. He say you prove brave, and strong. He say he ready to let you be family. "
Mara-Ke moves to the front of the group, drawing herself up to full height before speaking in a voice much quieter than Jura's, but than nevertheless seems to captivate the listeners. When she finishes there is silence. Kima-Ek opens her mouth to begin translating, but Mara gently lays a finger on her younger counterpart's shoulder. Turning to the outlander crew, she speaks.
"I say you not know ways of family. I say you moon people. I say you maybe not bad. Maybe not good. I say I watch." She places a finger beneath each soot-darkened eye. "But for now you welcome in family. I not stand in way."
With that she retreats back behind Ki-Rav. The chief holds his hands up again, draws breath and makes a proclamation in a sudden and startlingly loud voice. The end of his sentence is drowned out by a cheer from the rest of the tribe as they get to their feet, stomping in the sand to create a sound like distant thunder. Ki-Rav moves forward to embrace Claire, and on this cue the remainder of the islanders converge as well, wrapping any available crewmen up in their arms. Jura-Vi makes the rounds, grabbing and hoisting the crew one by one and lifting him over his head before lowering him onto the waiting, upthrust hands of the villagers who float them for a few moments before setting them down again. When the big warrior runs out of Bethesda crew he begins lifting villagers at random, including Kima-Ek at one point, who squawks indignantly but still somehow managed to retain most of her composure.
The festivities continue untill well after noon; food is produced seemingly form thin air, including a wide variety of fish, clams and mussels, one or two coveted lobster, and a roast boar. Drinks are mostly water, coconut milk, or the juice of crushed fruit, though there is a bowl (surprisingly made of china, evidently of Victorianan manufacture) filled with some kind of smooth, nearly tasteless but fearsomely potent liquor.
There is copious singing and dancing, and a drum circle is quickly assembled and runs for several hours. By the early afternoon things have begun to wind down somewhat, though it seems clear than no real work is goign to happen that day. (with the exception of a group of sour-faced junior warriors who leave halfway through to make the long trek up the mountain) As the sun rides high the festivities are moved indoors and into a dozen or so little cabins.
At some point most of the crew finds themselves together in the shade of the cheiftan's house with Ki-Rav and his wife Eva-Na. Eva is an thin but animated older woman, about the same age as her husband. At the moment she is in the midst of telling a story (an exciting one judging by the production she's putting on,and from the enraptured gaze of the other villagers) Kima-Ek is present as well, sitting quietly near the door, looking outside but clearly paying attention to the tale as well, though she does not translate.
Maximillian makes his way into their midst, wobbling just a little under the influence of the china bowl. "See, they love a good party, yeh?" He flops down, keeping his voice low to keep from interrupting Eva-Na's story. "They're beautiful people..." His head drops back and he seems to doze for a moment before waking up with a start. "Right, right.. Before I ferget fer the sixth time... Yer tribe now, so ye can ask fer a favor from Ki-Rav. 's what yer gonna have ta do ta get th' key. He need ta ask fer somethin' in return, that can be whatever yeh want. They ain't real picky 'n they like 'civilized' stuff. Or ye can make a promise ta do somethin'." He takes a deep breath. "From their perspective th' key ain't all that valuable, I just gave it to 'em ta keep it hidden. So ye ought ta be able ta trade damn near anything fer it."
-------------------------------- DER UPKEEPEN
Dexter: +2 CP
Tom: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 23, 2010 6:14:06 GMT -8
Dexter is in a surly mood. He hasn't said much since the tribal leaders approached the crew to announce their decision and is clearly not someone who enjoys parties. Whenever possible he avoids the bustle and sticks to a quiet corner where he can sit and stare at the ocean.
However, when Max says "trade damn near anything" his eyes suddenly light up and he has to struggle to keep his voice down (though it's assuredly nonetheless disruptive to the story).
"Ooh! Ooh! I know! It's perfect!" he practically shouts with the first smile on his face in almost a week. With that he takes off toward the brush and the jungle before looping back after a second thought to grab his/Claire's Highwind. Gun mounted on his back and his customary leather bag with all his tools at his hip, he takes off into the jungle back toward the Bethesda.
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Post by e on Sept 23, 2010 9:38:19 GMT -8
Claire's all serious attentiveness while Jura- vi, Kima-Ek and Mara-Ke are speaking.
At Mara's translation for her crew, Claire nods at the wisewoman with just a hint of a smile on her lips. She understands careful and skeptical more than most would. She doesn't have any intentions of doing anything that might hurt the tribe, so she's not a bit worried over it.
She can tell from the tone of the chief and from the expressions on the tribes faces that they have passed their test. She happily allows herself to be squashed and swung about, grinning at each new person in turn. She tries to learn names, as much as she can in the ruckus.
She stays away from the coconut spirits, as she's heard tell of concoctions like that what could down a strong horse, nonetheless she's quite content.
She listens to the story Eva's telling, watching the drama unfold on the crowd's faces. She wonders if it's a tale about crocodiles or moonpeople.
"They're a beautiful people."
"Yes, they surely are. And mighty fine cooks, too." She smiles at Max.
"From their perspective th' key ain't all that valuable, I just gave it to 'em ta keep it hidden. So ye ought ta be able ta trade damn near anything fer it."
"Arrite, we'll just ask then. I'm fair certain we've got some....." Claire trails off as Dexter bolts up and off with some newly hatched plan of his. She looks after him indulgently. Maybe this time his genius idea will be the kind of genius they can all get behind, and not the kind that makes everyone want to box his ears. Ah well, if not, she'll just have to explain it to him.
She pictures Dexter presenting Ki-Rav with a large mass of greasy gears and bolts and explaining with gusto how it tells you how hot or cold the water is in a series of clicks and hums that nobody in their right mind besides Dex (not that he's really in a right mind) would understand. She chuckles at the idea.
She turns back to Max, keeping her voice low as well, not wanting to interrupt Eva's tale.
"Now, if we get the key, and we put the two pieces together, are we still gonna have to dig the bird out of there or has she got another way out of all that rock? Those odd lookin' caves we met the crocodile at last night anything we could use maybe?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 23, 2010 10:23:10 GMT -8
"Oh, Lucifer ain't buried." Max smiles wide.
"Emi was only diggin 'cause the door was bobby-trapped ta hell. I imagine she hoped ta get around the door 'n then make a dogleg'n connect with the tunnel behind it.. There's a whole base in there, ye see. Storage, crew berths, crane, th' works. Generator too. All that was waitin' fer me when I first got here. ..I expect th' other five got the same treatment. Hell fer all I know they may have -built- Luci right in there. Had almost enough space to."
He leans back on his elbows, chuckling "Actually a bit surprised ye didn't ask 'bout that earlier. ..Oh 'an the caves ye saw -tunnels's a better word, prolly-. Those're are ta keep th' water level from risin too high in th' cone, near as I could figure. Basically glorified spillways. There are other tunnels further down, below th' surface, but those're fer a different purpose."
His eyes gleam. "So ye ever wonder how ta keep a air-base hidden on an island 's small as this one? Well ye were right on top of the answer last night. The base is under the mountain, yeh? And Lucifer launches up through the crater. Ye can't see it under th' water, but there are two huge watertight doors down there, above the hangar bay in th' base. When ye hit th' controls it opens the floodgates at th' bottom of 'th lake, 'n all the water drains out, takes a minute or two. Then when it's empty the doors open 'an it's nothin' but blue sky overhead. Ye can spin up Lucifer 'an just take 'er straight up'n out."
He pantomimes a rising ship with his hand.
"After that, doors close up again, and since the rain 'round here's so regular, after about a day th' door's all covered over again with water, like nothing was ever there. .They're painted black like the rock, yeh? 'n once the water gets deep enough it greens over with algae anyway. An there ye have it. "
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 23, 2010 11:36:05 GMT -8
(( going to assume D's back at Beth. Feel free to play with the timeline if you need to delay me at all. ))
Dexter reaches the old scrapheap of a ship, panting. He boards the ruined lower level and starts searching through the wreckage for the lobster cages he was building.
(( if you need to roll for it, go for it, let me know if he finds it or not. otherwise, Dex is going to head back to the village as soon as he finds the lobster cage. As I recall, the compartment that got trashed was adjacent to the one he had his workshop in, not actually the same one, so presumably what he was working on would still be in there (though the greenware for the glass windscreen is probably in pieces...) ))
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Post by brendur on Sept 23, 2010 11:40:09 GMT -8
Tom's lost to celebration the moment he's hoisted above the villagers shoulders, cackling like a mad man and joining in the shouts of jubilation.
"S'right! Who're the masters?!? Ong-GA!"
When his feet hit sand they don't stop moving, the short pirate makes only short pauses in his alternations of dancing and pounding away in the drum circle, during which he grabs equal shares of food and drink. After he's taken a few pounds of the strong liqueur making it's way around, he produces matches from his rucksack, and waits for the dish of china to make it's way around again. When it comes his turn to drink, he holds in a mouthful, then lights a match sending a gout of flame rising above the dancers as he sprays the contents upwards.
He's well sauced by the time the festivities calm down and move inside, having already sworn brotherhood to anyone (Crew and tribesman alike) that sat close enough to him during his debauchery. He delights in teaching the village children swear words in his language, and only slightly wilts at any glares he gets for it. When it comes to story telling, he watches Mara-ke with rapt attention, taking his cues of when to laugh, boo, or gasp from the crowd. All the while nudging those near him and hissing in a drunkards "indoor voice".
"S'my favorite partsh right here...yup!"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 23, 2010 11:41:37 GMT -8
((Re: Jazz Yep you're good to go. sorry I didn't address that directly. It's like.. work and stuff so I had to shut that post off early. ))
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 23, 2010 15:54:27 GMT -8
Dexter comes back after some time, out of breath and carrying a fat, cylindrical cage made of wood and vine. At what seems to be the top is a wide opening with a second, cone-shaped cage on the inside, with one open end. This aperture can expand larger when manipulated from the top, but shuts tight from the inside of the cage. In this way, it is obvious that once something large enough gets inside, it becomes difficult-to-impossible to get out.
He thrusts it at Claire, looking at the villagers out of the corner of his eye. "My lobster cages!" he pants. "This is the prototype, we can give them this, and I can teach them how to make more. Since they're fishermen...and -women...I thought they could use this. We probably won't be using them anytime soon. And teaching them how to make their own -- which is pretty simple and could probably be done without, you know, talking much -- would make it so that they can make tons of these and catch whole hordes of lobsters and crabs and anything else that gets in there! I saw how prized the lobster was and this would be sort of like giving them access to their favorite exotic food!" He's obviously pleased with himself and practically glowing with excitement. He turns to Max, "Do you think they could use something like this? You know, if I showed them how to make more?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 23, 2010 22:03:28 GMT -8
Tom's antics go over well with the villagers, especially the warriors, who are more than happy to join him in his hollering and general rowdiness. The other villagers are somewhat more reserved, but everyone reacts in awe at his firebreathing tricl, which he is asked via pantimime to perform several more times. By the time he finally leaves to seek shelter from the sun in Ki-Rav's home, there are three separate groups bending low over campfires to blow flames at each other. Only one face catches on fire, and then only briefly, as the minor blaze is quickly extinguished by many handfulls of sand.
The storytelling in Ki-Rav's hut isn't very much enchanced by Tom's commentary, but this is borne with good grace by the other listeners, though a quiet conspiracy develops on the part of the villagers to distract him with food or other diversions to get him outside for a few minutes from time to time.
By the time Dexter returns the storytelling has finished, and half the villagers in attendance have nodded into a midaftenoon nap, sated by food and drink. Ki-Rav and his wife talk quietly in a corner with Kima-Ek and a small circle of other villagers.
Maximillian props himself up on an elbow and has a look at Dexter's lobster trap, growing more excited as the explanation progresses. "That's a brilliant idea, actually! I think they'd love that... Th' reason the lobsters're so prized is they catch 'em by... Well.. By just swimmin' down and tryin' ta fetch 'em out a th' rocks by hand. It's tough work, 'an actually more'n a little dangerous, what with eels and urchins and all." Max scratches his chin. " I think yer invention might upset one 'r two of 'th expert lobster catchers here'n th' village, but I'd say the benefit outweighs th' negative." He nods. "It'd be a good offering, sure. More'n good. I'm shamed I didn't think of it meself!"
====UPKEEP====
Claire: +2 CP
Tom: +2 CP
Dexter: +2 CP
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Post by e on Sept 24, 2010 16:17:02 GMT -8
Claire is loathe to interrupt festivities to ask for a favor right away and appear ungrateful and uninterested in their new family, but she also is itching to get the key business underhand so if Emi shows her face again they'll be ready.
She ponders her options while watching Tom make a spectacle of himself, more entertained than anything, at least as long as the village people seem unoffended. If he tries to get him a bride or show off his more obscure tattoos she may have to step in.
After several hours of enjoying the company, the food and the people, showing a few little girls how to braid their hair, Claire decides it's time to go talk to Ki-Rav. She motions for Dex to stay where he is and wait until she's ready for him to come over with the cages.
She locates Kima-Ek and says, "Thank you for your friendship Kima-Ek. We are pleased to be part of your family and grateful for your welcome. I'd like to speak with Ki-Rav. Would you translate for us?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 25, 2010 4:07:39 GMT -8
Kima blinks as she deciphers Claire's words. After a moment she nods, leaving her head low and tweaking the corners of her mouth up in the closest approximation to a smile that those in her position are apparently allowed to make. "I speak," she says, with another small nod.
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Post by e on Sept 27, 2010 8:02:57 GMT -8
Claire moves over toward Ki-Rav, sitting down beside him and smiling at him and his wife. She nods at Kima-Ek, suggesting she's about to begin.
"Hello, Ki-Rav, thank you for welcoming us, and for the celebration today. We are proud to be family." She pauses for a moment.
"We would like to ask for a favor. And to offer one in return, of course. We ask for the key that Maximillian gave into your keeping." She motions Dexter over.
"And we offer this. It's for catching lobster." She mimics claws and segmented body with quick fingers. "You can build more of these if you wish. Dexter'll show you."
She turns to Dexter.
"Dex, show 'em how it works, but go slowlike. And don't go giving any physics lectures if you can stand it."
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 27, 2010 8:19:40 GMT -8
Kima follows Claire over, sitting a few feet behind and to her right, and begins translating for Ki-Rav. The chief nods throughout the speech, nodding his head slighty as though this was something he'd been expecting. When Claire calls his attention to Dexter he swings his head to look at him, raising an eyebrow at the device in what is apparently a cross-cultural gesture of curiosity.
((Gar, guess I never closed out friday. : / sort of a busy weekend, sorry. -_- I'll stick fri's update in with todays.))
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Post by brendur on Sept 27, 2010 8:21:51 GMT -8
Tom manages to stumble on over to the exchange, sitting down heavily next to Max and Dexter. Oddly enough he doesn't have anything to say, and just sits there cross legged watching the others speak. Occasionally he'll lean to one side slightly and then jerk upright to correct himself, signs that he's still under the drought's effects. His eye's follow the conversation though, perhaps he's been to a few meetings in this state before.
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 27, 2010 12:58:07 GMT -8
Dexter takes a deep breath, feeling oddly as if he's on stage in some strange play. His stomach flutters uneasily as he tries to make a simple presentation of the device he built. He speaks slowly and pauses frequently so Kima-Ek can catch everything and translate his words.
"So, I made this...I dunno, a week or so ago...all from materials found on this island. It's a fairly simple design...My problem after making it was that you need to put chum, or some kind of bait at the bottom, to lure the lobsters or crabs or whatever bottom-dwelling creatures you're trying to catch in there. You tie a line to the end here -- " he points to the top of the cage, near the opening " -- and drop it to the bottom of the sea where you know a lot of these critters live. Then, you leave it there a day or so. The lobster will crawl in here -- " he puts his hand into the opening " -- see how it stretches open for my hand? Once they're inside, they're trapped -- " he extends his fingers inside the cage and makes pulling motions against the inner ring, demonstrating that the ring does not expand from the inside " -- they can't get out. Smaller guys maybe could, if the cage was on its' side, but those aren't really the ones that you'd be looking for anyway, really. Um...oh, also, you're pretty much only gonna get, you know, the stuff you're actually trying to catch, since you have a specific kind of bait for what you're fishing for and anything smaller, fish and stuff, would just swim through these slats...So...um...yeah...that's my lobster cage...I'll teach, maybe, 3 people? how to make this and how to teach others to do it, and then I will watch them teach 3 more, so I can be there for any questions or anything. Take maybe a day or two. From there, you could teach your whole tri--er, family if you wanted, so everyone knows how to make it. I thought, you know, we probably won't be needing this now but you, your people, you could feed the entire tribe with a whole bunch of these, and it's easy enough to make that it's a skill that could be passed down to your children and their children, which is a lot more use than I'd get out of it, honestly. Anyway, I just thought...you know...helping the family and all..." Dexter shrugs and slowly trails off into his characteristic muttering to himself.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 27, 2010 15:54:26 GMT -8
Kima-Ek translates faithfully and to the best of her ability though once or twice she has to stop to consider her phrasing or meditate on the meaning of a word for a second or two. Ki-Rav's eyes remain mostly on the cage throughout, and the moment he realizes what he's looking is easily discernable. He launches into a pantomime of his own, mimicking the action of dropping the cage into the water, pointing out to the ocean. He nods happily, smiling at Dexter.
At the end of the presentation he has a few words with Kima-Ek, further clarifying what was just said, then turns to his wife and speaks softly to her for a moment. She rises and moves to the back of the cabin through a curtain made twine hung with shells, and emerges a minute later with a small velvet pouch, obviously not of islander origin. She hands it delicately to her husband, who holds it between his palms for the pace of a few heartbeats before he speaks, his eyes going over to Max for a moment. Kima-Ek sits up straight and translates, hey eyes lingering on Ki-Rav's closed hands.
"He say... He know why Magzi-Milan give up sky-god's heart. He ask if Magzi-Milan trust the ones who ask for it. If he think they... Good." Her eyes swing over to Maximillian.
The old captain sits impassively, looking down at the woven mat a foot in front of him, rubbing one of it's fibers between his thumb and forefinger. He takes a slow, measured breath.
"Aye." He says, his lips compressing. He looks up to Ki-Rav and nods. "Yes." He speaks again, under his breath, too softly for anyone to hear.
The chief inclines his head solemnly, then leans forward and gently drops the pouch into Claire's hands. Inside is the circuit-key, the size of a cigarette case and the mirror-twin of the one given to Dexter by Emillianna some days before.
Ki-Rav speaks again, slowly and with great earnestness. Kima repeats his words in english when he finishes.
"He say, he glad you part of family. He hope you remember promises you make, and he hope you know we remember promises we make. He say you have much work; if you need go you can go. Dek-Ter can come teach to make trap later, when time."
Ki-Rav stands, nodding slowly as he dips form the waist in a shallow bow. His wife joins him at his side and together the two of them move out into the sunlight, heading towards some other destination in the village.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 27, 2010 21:17:29 GMT -8
========================= Ye Upkeep!
Claire: +4 CP (2 from Fri)
Dexter: +2 CP
Tom: +2 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 28, 2010 6:28:35 GMT -8
Tom blinks at being lumped in with people who fell under the heading of "Good", caught between the need to laugh and snort, through the drunken haze he decides to do neither. He briefly wondered in a moment of drunken introspection if they would be able to maintain that title with a cursed ship under their feet. Max hadn't been able to do it, and he had gone onto that deck with better intentions than they had. If he had paved a road to hell with good intentions, where would a road paved under survival go?
As Ki-Rav and them leave, he leans forward to watch them go, mind wandering over the weight they had just dropped on their necks. More family and responsibility, strangely enough, he didn't mind it so much.
"They kinda grow on ye no?"
The flash of the circuit key seems to have a strange sobering effect on Tom, some of the blur and fog in his eyes lifting as soon as Claire removes it from its pouch. He stands up, wobbling only slightly to peer over the Captain's shoulder at it.
"Kind oh small fer the fruitsh oh our labors eh? Still s'pretty as a picture."
Grinning he playfully socks Dexter in the arm.
"Who'd a thunk it, those traps snagged ush the catch oh the day. Ha!"
(( 10 xp to add + 2 to Stealth, and 10 xp to add +2 to second strike.))
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Post by e on Sept 28, 2010 8:11:44 GMT -8
Claire smiles as she hears Max vouch for them. She graciously accepts the key, assuring Ki-Rav and anyone else listening that "We will surely remember and honor our promises." She nods in respect as Ki-Rav leaves.
She turns to her companions, beckoning.
"Sounds like probably we got us a heap of tasks to set to in order to get the ship ready for business... well, just like always, I reckon. Anyhow, let's go and take stock of things sooner than later."
She keeps what Max told her about the hidden base to herself and whoever was closeby, looking forward to seeing the surprise on their faces when they get down to the Lucifer. She's looking forward to settin' eyes on it herself too, course.
She looks about for Max.
"Are you comin' along on this little excursion or shall we just look for you later? You, Kima-Ek? Anyone who wants is more than welcome to join us."
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 28, 2010 10:17:25 GMT -8
"Yeh, expect I should come along fer th' ride." Maximillian hoists himself to his feet with a small grunt. "One'r two things might need explainin'."
Kima-Ek demurrs, shaking her head. "Not my place." She bows her head and offers one of her tiny not-quite-smiles.
"Well you bet your cushy rear I'm coming." Heloise leans in from the door, looking somewhat cross-eyed from drink. "Been waitin' long enough to get a look at this thing." Anastasia places a firm hand on the girl's shoulder to keep her from knocking her head against the door support. "I'd like to go as well."
As the group prepares to travel they come across and recruit Elle and Kenneth. The path to the gate takes them along a small trail carved through the jungle, apparently subject to little traffic and overgrown in a few places. After two or three hours of following the narrow and difficult trail they come out into the clearing of the dig site. Most of the smashed equipment is still there, broken crates and an overturned digger. Nothing that is left is of any real value. A two foot deep crater marks the epicenter of the explosion, now filled with rainwater.
Max whistles lowly. "What a damned mess." He walks amongst the broken equipment, kicking a wooden board with his boot. Turning towards the rock face he examines the shallow progress made by the dig team. "Yeh, see they were gonna tunnel past th' door, then dogleg ta connect wit' the passageway behind. Prolly woulda worked, given enough time."
He turns and walks back to the group, swallowing around a sudden tightness in his throat. "Well.. Keyslot's behind that metal panel there." He points to a hinged panel to the side of the door. "Doesn't look like it's been messed with none... Ain't no trick to the' key, just put th' two of 'em together 'n jam it inta th' slot." He crosses his arms, leaning back on his heels. "Figure you oughta do the honors."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 28, 2010 19:43:15 GMT -8
Dexter ignores Max's monologue and rushes to the doors as soon as he sees them. He studies the metal connections waiting for the key to complete the circuit and brushes off some dirt and loose corrosion to make sure the contacts are all clean for the key. He is literally buzzing with excitement, maintaining a consistent low volume yammering about the probable mechanics that went into the creation of the door and hypotheses about the age and the technological aptitude of the original builders of the base.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 28, 2010 22:27:37 GMT -8
======UPKEEP============
Tom: +2 Stealth (-10 CP) +2 Second Strike (-10 CP) +2 CP
Dexter: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 29, 2010 6:48:04 GMT -8
Tom makes a point of bodily hugging Kima-ek before they go, to the point of where her heels leave the ground. Patting her shoulder he winks to the shaman.
"Yer alright, fer one oh those hoo-doo folks, m'sure ye'll grow out oh that though."
With that he leaves with the rest of the group.
The walk serves well to sober Tom up, granted he's still left with the red eyed and sweating tells of someone who's had too many turns at the bottle. If he has a headache, which would come as no surprise to anyone at the party, he bears it without so much as a whimper. When they reach the dig site he raises a brow to all of the destruction, walking around the edge of the crater and habitually reconstructing the blast radius from all the evidence.
"Damn...we're luckier than we know..."
When Max finishes saying his piece, Tom looks to Claire smirking.
"Well...don't leave us all in suspense lassie, let's see one oh the greatest terrors ever to grace the skies."
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Post by e on Sept 29, 2010 11:11:06 GMT -8
Claire surveys the mess, glad Max decided to accompany them. She brushes the rock with her hands to get familiar as they walk.
When they arrive, she patiently waits for Dexter to finish his inspection of the keyslot. Then she grins at Tom's enthusiasm and produces both halves of the key, holding them up for a moment to honor the occasion before reuniting them and putting them into the slot Max is indicating.
"And here we go." She says to the door in front of her, both respect and excitement in her low tone.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 29, 2010 14:02:26 GMT -8
((I hope you don't mind, I'm going to put people on autopilot for a while here to keep life simple. There's a lot to look at.) The combined key slides easily into the slot. Behind the thick concrete a pressure bottle is tripped with a hiss, blowing enough air to power a small alternator, which in turn generates an electric current that runs through the key, instantly jumping through the maze of tiny circuits, connectors, and false leads. The key is perfect, and the current of electricity finds it's way to a solenoid buried inside the wall. A vibrating buzz shakes the dirt underfoot as the doors separate and begin to open. Air rushes into the opening as though the mountain were taking a breath as the outside air forces it's way in. With the doors opened enough for two people to walk through side by side the mechanism clicks off, leaving the clearing silent once more safe for the calls of startled wildlife and the intermittent pop and groan of the immense doors as they settle their tons of weight into their new positions. The tunnel beyond the gate has a flat floor and a gently arched ceiling, nearly twenty feet wide and about as tall. Narrow gutters run along the edges on both sides of the floor, and one or two pipes run along near the top of the ceiling, along with a number of hanging lightbulbs, all of which are dark. Carved straight into the black volcanic rock, the tunnel stretches backwards until it is engulfed entirely by the darkness with no end in sight. A faint, reverberating echo can be heard in the wake of any other noise that is made. "Well... 'Bout like I left it." Max says after a moment of silence. He coughs into his hand, walking between the gates and flipping a heavy switch set into the wall. The lights on the ceiling give the barest of flickers and then stay dark. Max grunts. "Thought as much. It's gonna be a bit dark till ye get th' generator up 'n running again." He fishes around in the dimness for a moment before straightening up with an old kerosene lamp in his hands. He chuckles. "Also where I left it." A click of his lighter and a few seconds later he has a flame burning. Holding up the lantern and lettign it's light spill aroudn the corridor reveals a metal ladder set ino the wall, leading up. "That goes to th' gate controls. The key is programmed to just open 'er up a crack like it just did. The ladder leads ta a room with the movin' machinery and a control so ye can open'r close 'er however ye like. Now there's only one key, so obviously ye don't want ta lose it. I used ta just always keep a man inside ta work th' door, and kept th' key good 'n hidden." With nothing further said he continues on down the passage, lamp held high. The tunnel continues straight back seemingly without and, and t takes a full three minutes or more to get to the next landmark. The air in the tunnel is surprisingly cold, and the condensation that forms on the walls makes the reason for the raingutters on either side of the passageway clear. Ahead in the tunnel comes the muted sound of dripping water, scattered and refracted by the stony echo of the tunnel. Abruptly, two hundred meters or more into the rock, the tunnel changes. The rough-walled volcanic stone is coated with a layer of gray hardened concrete, made square smooth almost like a conventional bunker. The walls are water-darkened in places, but generally in good condition. The air is deathly still, and looking back up the tunnel reveals no trace of sunlight. "Well.. here we are. This is the beginning of th' base proper... This is th' main corridor. We used ta use this fer storage from time ta time, but mostly it's fer travellin' through. Further back are the part rooms'n out little workshop. When we got Luci, she came with a few spare's n replacements.. She was a real exotic back then. Still is, but from what I gather the kinds of parts she uses have gotten a bit more common.. A bit. So ye might not be completely hooked if ye break somethin'." He lifts his lantern to reveal another ladder going upwards. "That goes to one of th' two hangar door controls. The other one's at the far end of the workshop. More on them 'n a bit." He indicates a nearby staircase leading down. "Main living quarters're down here. Common room, kitchen, bunks. It's.. Damp, so we used ta keep portable heaters'n furnaces going to keep things dry. It's not that terrible once ye spend some time makin' it homesome, though. One level down from that is storage, and th' generator, waaay back at th' far end. There's an elevator that goes from th' hangar bay ta storage, Which is damned handy." He pauses a moment to let his explanation sink in before pointing to a concrete stairwell leading up. A trickle of water runs down it. " 'An that goes ta Lucifer. Expect ye'll want ta have a look at 'er first." Moving a bit more slowly he takes the stairs one at a time, planting his feet as firmly as though he expected them to slip, though each one offers solid purchase. The stairs lead into a vast echoing chamber, and the light of the lantern is swallowed up in it before it reaches the ceiling. Trickles and drops of water fall from above, the echoes in the chamber amplifying each spatter until it sounds like rainfall. Maximillian holds his lamp higher, then higher still and Lucifer's shape flickers into life at last, rounded and pointed like the head of a spear. Her hull is painted black and edged in gold, and glistens with water in the flickering lamplight. The smoothness of her form is broken fore and aft by large nodules, with the taletale inlets and ducted exhausts of fanjet engines. From the aft nodules sprout wide aerodynamic fins, used for control in the air. Around her equator stretches a thick band of metal, affixed a few feet apart from the hull, like a stretched halo. Gunports are situated on her flank fore and aft, closed against the dampness. Another gun is enclosed in the nose, pointing it's thick, snubbish barrels forward. A grappling rig rests in the tail, it's arm contracted. Max lets out a long, slow breath, the sound almost lost amidst the water fall. "Well.." He says, and then seems to forget the rest, letting the word fall off into silence.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 29, 2010 14:05:03 GMT -8
((Also, here's the layout of the base for your convenience:))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 29, 2010 22:32:41 GMT -8
================UPKEEP====================
Tom: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 30, 2010 10:06:23 GMT -8
Tom squints his eyes as the lamp lights, following Max through the corridor, a bit unsettled at how the sound carried here. You could hear all the bodies in the confined space breathing, layered underneath Max's gravel voice. Drips of water that echoed through cave dotted his explanations, clogging speech nearly as well as the thick dust that their passage stirred.
He hears Max but it won't be until much later that the word's are actually processed, because there she is. A ship that had been at the center of every tavern and fireside story he remembered since...well ever. Tales of men that had lashed themselves to her wheel just so they could be with her in their dying moments, tales of men driving her through airborne blockades with nothing more than a pistol and mad laughter, Tales of how she had slaughtered men of every race, religion, and political standpoint. This wasn't a tale, this was real, and right in front of him.
He walks up running a hand along her jet black hull, marveling at the near seamless welding job of the plates, which no doubt cut her air resistance down to a knife through butter. Tom licks his lips, which have gone dry from awe and metallic tasting dust, and hazards to break the silence that's fallen.
"So this is what Death looks like..."
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