Tarum III - Surface

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

Not smart, lint-for-brains... Switchblade slips away from the EMP again...And a very distinctive style of noise can be heard from it, as one of the air-to-ground missiles is launched at the EMP cannon.

Zachery, meanwhile drops to the ground, and rolls backwards. When he comes up, his armor is in the process of shifting...The helmet collapses into a black visor, and parts of the upper torso and lower legs seem to bulk up slightly. Also, the wrist launchers collapse back into the armor, as he pulls a heavy-looking blade off of his back, and launches himself into the group attacking from behind, using two-handed swings.

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

Cyrus begins moving down the path, continuing to scan the area around him.

"I've found a path through the forest. It might lead somewhere interesting. More specifically, it looks well travelled, so it might lead to their camp. Umbral, can you get a look?"

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Ah shit..." Kars mutters, letting go of the sniper rifle and laying on his back as the area ahead of em exploded. The weapon sat there on it's bipod. Kars rolled over so he was now looking towards the new threat, and pulled one of his pistols. He lay still watching for anything that would show itself as Zachery charged. He continues muttering inaudibly under the gunfire. "Shit shit shit, why'd I volunteer for jungle fighting and archeology anyway. Shoulda landed in the ruins themselves."

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

By the time Zach arrives at the spot the pirates have already withdrawn, their Garik heritage making it easy for them to hide and be quiet. The explosion of the missile, however, knocks a body across the clearing. A charred body lands across Kars - it's the pirate with the EMP cannon.

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

(Not sure whether you mean across as in next to, or across as in on top of.)

"Ugh!" Kars grunts as the corpse lands. He pushes it away and quickly kicks it in the assumed face a few times. Ok, seemed to be dead. Though that EMP cannon looked handy, if it still worked. Had to clear the place first. Looking back to where the pirates disapeared to he checks his electrical scanning again. Any more energy weapons, power sources, or electrical equipment should be easy to spot through the undergrowth. Unless that stealth effect was still active.

(Think of the electrical vision mode in Splinter Cell if you know it.)

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

As the pirates start to flee, Zachery lets out a very quiet chuckle, as he switches his visual settings to x-ray. He also shifts into a very slightly crouched walk, as he slowly works his way towards any signatures he spots.

Umbral turns Switchblade, and heads towards Cyrus' position. "One moment. I'll see what I can pick up."

((The x-ray scanning Zachery is using is roughly equatable to the X-Ray Visor from the first Metroid Prime game.))

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

As Zachery sneaks forward, looking around for the pirates- click. He can feel something give in slightly under his foot. That, combined with the click, can only mean one thing - explosives of some kind.
Before he can fully take that in he is already hit by a blast - an EMP grenade, thankfully. Even as his sensors give out he can hear the sound of the retreating pirates. They're fighting with every trick in the book.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the point of view, Zachery's personal systems were hardened against EMP blasts. "Keep your eyes peeled. They're using traps." Systems check...Everything's normal...No discernable armor integrity decrease. As soon as the blast, and its effects, cleared, Zachery was back to slowly trailing the pirates. This time, he was being far, far more cautious, and had switched to thermal tracking. Zachery began reviewing information he'd be given due his original 'instruction' period. Unless they went to extreme lengths to get highly specialized shielded equipment...Active electronic devices, including most of the known types of grenade, give off heat signatures...Need to alter the scanners to high-light any detected strings, or non-powered wires as well, just in case...Done.

Meanwhile, Umbral had briefly turned on the basic active sensors on Switchblade, just long enough to make a quick check for anything along that trail. At Zachery's call about the traps, though, a small idea forms in Umbral's mind. "Hm...Just had a thought...Cyrus, Kars, either of you have any spare wire back at your ships? Preferably very thin, yet still reasonably strong."

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Yeah I got some spare duracord with me. The stuff in my grapple gun. Plenty thin, an I know it'll take at least two tons. That enough? Why?" Kars responds picking up his rifle again and moving after Zachery so not to get separated. He follows the exact path he takes.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Well, they're using traps...Tactics that I know a things or two about myself. I'm thinking it might be helpful to try to either throw them way off guard, or get one alive. A lot harder to interrogate a corpse, after all. If we can work information out of them, it will give us a degree of advantage."

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Well I could try to rig something up, but what's our general plan now anyway? Since I'm guessing the exploration stuff is on hold, are we trying to find these guys camp or getting out of here for now? We're kinda out numbered, and without any idea of where they are coming from. Plus they probably saw us land. You know what that could mean."

Kars had been using his forearm computer to keep check on the situation at the landing site, like he had done back on the station. He'd swindled people out of that ship for years, and no Garik pirate was going to try to steal or sabotage it now. (Though it would take a child to fit in the cockpit, if they could figure out where it was in the first place.)

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"I'm not that worried. My ship's got automated defences. If needbe though, I can set some probes up around the landing site."

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Personally, my inclination would be to fall back, at least to the landing site, and try to come up with some kind of plan. I'm starting to think that we're not going to get to the ruins unless we can out-maneuver these pirates."

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"I hear that. I'm not going to let a gang of pirates keep me from reaching those ruins. We'll think of something."

Cyrus pulls a 180, and begins speeding back to the landing site.

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Roger that. We can come back better prepared." Kars looks to Zachary, and would begin to head back to the landing site. He kinda wanted to bring back that EMP cannon, but there was no way to drag it through the undergrowth with hostiles all around.

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

Zachery begins making his way back towards the landing site, as Switchblade circles around and heads off towards the Fang.

Once back, Umbral would land Switchblade back on the bay floor, and lower it back into the Fang, closing the doors. After a few moments, the boarding port would click, indicating that it was unlocked. "I'm on the Fang, trying to work some stuff out. The door's unlocked, should you guys decide to use my table for discussions. Oh, and if you do come in, mind the autocannons just inside."

Across the Fang's entryway from the boarding port are for small autocannons, in a staggered vertical column.



A short while after Umbral's communication, Zachery reached the Fang. He only made it a short ways in before suddenly collapsing.

At the noise, Umbral looked over. "Shit." A quick check confirmed his suspicions. "Dammit. I'm heading back to the Line. Zachery just shut down, no warning. I'm thinking that EMP grenade he took did more damage that he thought."

With that, the Dragon's Fang took off, and sped back towards the station.

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

Cyrus reaches the ships just as the Dragon's Fang leaves.

"Bugger, there goes our air support."

"We need to find their camp. Maybe we can take it out from the air with our ships. I'm sending out some probe droids."

Three floating orbs fly out of the open cargo bay of the Scimitar. They head into the woods down the path Cyrus took, gaining height and staying in cover where possible.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

The Deadly Mist made her way into the lower atmosphere of the planet, going invisible as soon as she could. With that done, he started scanning for any sign of the pirate base, as well as opened a channel to the crew members Umbral told him had been left here.

"Kars, Cyrus, this is Draven, if you can hear me please respond."

He then waited to see if he got any reply from them, or if his sensors would pick up anything unusual as he flew over, keeping his altitude high enough that his engines couldn't be heard on the ground.

 

[Bartnum]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"Draven, nice of you to join us. Though I'm afraid you've caught us at a bad time."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Tarum III - Surface

"So I have heard. I'll render what assistance I can. If we can find their base, I'll de-cloak and bomb it."