<@Brett> [Date: Saturday, April 9th. Time: 10:30 p.m. Location: A small hotel in Soyo.] <@Brett> [Having defeated some ninjas and rescued Sara, you bade farewell to Zola and drove back to the capital of Zakanar. Along the way, Alysha called to tell you she switched hotels after getting an uncomfortable feeling about the one you were staying in. The new place is almost more like a motel, except motels imply motorways, and the country has little of that.] <@Brett> [You enter Alysha's room to find her sitting cross-legged on her bed in a tanktop and shorts, her hair tied back in a pony-tail. Not surprising, given that it seems to have some how gotten hotter when the sun went down. And there's no airconditioning.] <@Brett> [Aight? Aight. Start!] * Shiho waves a hand wearily as she enters the room. "Hey, boss." * Gordo looks for a chair that'll support him but will probably just wind up leaning against the wall. (Wait, she moved hotels and didn't die?) (Someone check her for being a shapeshifting imposter.) (DO IT) <@Brett> [Alysha looks up, obviosuly coming out of a spell of boredom. "Hey! You're back!" She peeks around behind the rest of you. "And you found Sara!" She grins. "And Sara's found a new taste in fasion, apparently."] * Sonia replies, lowly, "Already made fun of her for it, boss, you're the one who likes to wear one-legged stuff." <@Brett> [Sara, still in the hentai-esque outfit, blushes. "Um.... Can I borrow a change of clothes? And I need a shower."] <@Brett> ( At this point, I'd just like to pause for a bit to note that hot-pink sweat pants with "JUICY" written directly across the ass are popular. ) <@Brett> ( Just saying. ) * Nigel walks in and leans against a wall. "Er? yeah. You may want to take her out shopping for new clothes." (It's the truth.) (People like advertising juicy booty.) (Is Sara Shiho's height/weight?) <@Brett> ( Nope. She's actually closer to Sonia's. ) (Yes. I am not sure why that is myself. Nor am I sure why it is popular for those pants to sag in the back, rather than fit properly) (That seems to be oxymoronic. Like "My ass is juicy, but not juicy enough to fill out these pants.") <@Brett> ( Actually looking at this.... ) <@Brett> ( Sara is much taller than all the other women in this room >.> ) (Is she the height of one of the dudes? I am looking to have Shiho rec someone loan her their clothes.) (Gordo's stuff would need quite a bit of belting in, but one of the brothers might be closer to her size.) <@Brett> ( She's closest to one of the bro's, yes. Also I think this came up before but.... Gordo's height of 4'9" is a typo, right? ) (Yeah, it says 5'9 on my char sheet) <@Brett> Ok <@Brett> ( I mean OK ) * Sonia shrugs slightly as she holds her car-suit-case. "I can at least get her tits covered, but I ain't got her height." (Gordo may be the shortest of the guys, then? Montana's 5'11".) <@Brett> ( Either way she's 5'10 and curvier than Alysha ) * Montana walks in and looks Sara over. "I could probably help." Turns to Alysha: "Where'd you put my stuff, ma'am?" <@Brett> ["Next room over," says Alysha. "I figured you'd be staying with Sonia, as usual."] (And later, I can help by stealing her an outfit. What?) (All of Nigel's stuff is tailor made?. so probably would fit very badly) (Yeah you are.) * Sonia smirks just a touch. * Montana tips his hat to Alysha. "Much obliged. C'mon," he says, waving for her to follow him. (And by "her" I mean Sara. Not Sonia. Or Alysha. Or Shiho. THAT GOT CONFUSING FAST.) <@Brett> [Sara follows Montana out. "Ugh.... I'm so embaressed."] (Too many "es" names) <@Brett> [And shortly Sara returns in an outfit Montana's free to describe. Me, I'ma get this going faster.] Don't worry about it. Let's just see if we can get somethin' that fits ya. (annnd swap those.) (SWAPPO) <@Brett> ["So, what happened?" Alysha asks, and Sara relates the tale. Not that I particularly was to run a conversation between me and myself again, but in case you forgot....] (Sara's now wearing a t-shirt and jeans, all Montana's size, so they're probably too big around the shoulders and the pants might be a little too long and tight around the hips, but it's servicable enough.) <@Brett> [Major Tehma J'mail is arming a church run by smugglers and fueling tempers in order to get the already perjudiced population of the country to kill each other, so he can sacrifice their souls to a god named Apep. Julia and her crew were caught while investigating their secret chamber in the eastern diamond mine, and were swallowed up by some portal. Sara managed to escape and hid out with Zola.] <@Brett> ( Werds! And exposion. ) <@Brett> ( exposition, for that matter. ) <@Brett> ( I'm not sure exposion is a word. ) (i'm gonna say it is) (XD) (It's A WORD NOW!) (exposion is an EXPOSITION EXPLOSION) <@Brett> [Either way, Alysha listens attentively for once, occasionally asking a question. When Sara finishes, she nods and looks at you. "Okay.... Tomorrow we need to check out that diamond mine."] Sounds like we're gonna end up goin' in hot. * Sonia is sitting on her suitcase at this point. Fer that joke you can go first. * Sonia looks over at Gordo. "Wasn't a joke." Sounds like Gordo called point. * Nigel nods. "Agreed." He nods to Sara. "We should make sure she is guarded well tonight. Now that we have two of you that people apparently want to kill or kidnap." <@Brett> [Alysha nods. "Good idea. Who wants the honor?"] * Gordo shrugs. "It's too hot to argue." <@Brett> [Sara frowns. "I'm not completely incapable, you know."] If we're goin' in directly, uh, Sara should be right with us. * Nigel nods to Sara. "I know that, miss. Didn't mean anything by it, it's just a precaution, you know." Well, she can't be in the room with me and the boss, it's hard enough keeping just Ms Johnson out of trouble on a normal day. Two potential kidnap victims in one room would be overkill. <@Brett> [Alysha nods. "And I have to go with you too. That's Tchwanda territory, and they aren't very open tor foreign presences."] * Nigel nods. "She can stay with me, it was my idea. I imagine Gordo is in my room, too, right, Miss Johnson, so that would be two of us to defend her if something happens." <@Brett> [Alysha nods. "Alright. That sounds good."] Fine. <@Brett> ( We can FF when you're ready ) (Sure?) (Seems fine to me. I assume we'll try to pick Sara's brain about what we can re: the diamond mine's layout.) <@Brett> ( Sure ) (I wanted to check on the status of getting that kid and his mom out of there with Alysha.) (But we can say that checking it happened offscreen?) <@Brett> ( Sure ) <@Brett> [Date: Saturday, April 9th. For real this time. Time: 8:00.] <@Brett> [You get up bright and early for a road trip! Why so early? Because the diamond mine is about 4.5 hours away. Still, you get a nice look at the tall savannah lands of the country. Grass..... grass..... zebra..... giraffe.... grass.....] (8 is not early) (sorry) (It's early for Alysha, okay? ^^) <@Brett> [Ok it's 6:00 now.] (you're a monster) <@Brett> [You wanted it, you got it! <@Brett> [It's hot again. Hotter than the night before, and Alysha's dressed lightly again. Sara's dressed in whatever Montana gave her. Probably the same sort of thing as the night before. Fortunately the bus has air conditioning! Loud air conditioning, but.] <@Brett> ( You have a few minutes to strike up a conversation if you want whilst I brb. ) * Shiho is wearing thin slacks and a tan top, in concession to the heat. She's fanning herself with a book instead of reading it. * Montana removes his hat and wipes his brow. He's procured a lighter jacket from somewhere and has ditched the flannels, but he still looks like he's burning up. "Problem one with full body armor," he mutters, "gets pretty bad down here." (*tank top) * Gordo has forgone his beloved jacket. "Aye, what I wouldn't give to be a few thousand meters up where it's nice and cold." <@Brett> ["You'd think it'd be cooler in the south, this time of year," says Alysha."] <@Brett> ( And everyone gimme awareness rolls ) Maybe this *is* cooler. Hey, where were you before all this started, Gordo? Went back up to Scotland? * Sonia snorts. "You realize where you are, people, it's going to be hot." 2d6+2 Montana rolls 2D6+2: 4 3 +2 = 9 (Er.) (That should be +6, my bad.) (So uh, 13?) 2d6+6 Sonia rolls 2D6+6: 6 2 +6 = 14 Aye, was going to build me Sikorsky, but couldn't afford it yet... 2d6+5 Gordo rolls 2D6+5: 2 5 +5 = 12 * Montana boggles at Gordo. "Why the hell not, man? Didn't you get paid enough?" 2d6+8 Shiho rolls 2D6+8: 5 4 +8 = 17 Just for an example it's near five hundred pounds to get a cylnder head machined out and I need fourteen of the bloody things. * Nigel is not in a suit jacket, for once. He is in a short-sleeved button down shirt, no tie, and gray slacks. He shrugs at Gordo. "It's a pretty drastic change in climate from home and they say the weather in England is always shit." Shit, but it's rainy shit. I don't want to know the last time water fell from the sky here. 2d6+6 Sonia rolls 2D6+6: 5 5 +6 = 16 It's only kind of hot. At least it's not humid. <@Brett> [It's not long before you notice you're being followed by a convoy of 2 jeeps and a humvee.] <@Brett> [After all, it is a very wide open, flat area.] Bets that they arn't friendly? * Sonia tilts her head slightly, then says, "We've got more 'friends' in the sky too." <@Brett> [Sara blinks, apparently having missed it. "Anyone have an extra gun?"] * Gordo hands Sara his pistol and starts to set up his riffle to fire out the back of the van. * Shiho pulls out her pistol and rolls the window down. Like I said. Goin' in hot. Anyone figure who they are? Sorry ma'am, only got the one. (Ah, nix what I said.) (Somehow COMPLETELY missed what Gordo did.) * Gordo checks out the convoy with the help of the scope on his riffle. (Any identifying marks on them?) * Montana draws his own pistol and starts checking for a clear shot out of one of the side windows. 2d6+5 Gordo rolls 2D6+5: 1 4 +5 = 10 * Nigel draws his crossbow and loads it. <@Brett> [Sara recieves a gun from Gordo. "Thanks."] <@Brett> [Meanwhile Alysha moves to the formost passenger seat and kneels down, just peeking over the edge.] <@Brett> ( Also it's a bus, Gordo, not a van :P ) (Pah) Don't see any flags're badges from here. Want me to start shooting anyway ma'am? <@Brett> ["Not yet," says Alysha. "Wait til they're closer."] * Gordo lowers his gun and turns. "How close?" <@Brett> ["Til they start catching up." Alysha grins. "Til we can be sure we can take them out quickly, without giving them a chance to back off and form a new plan."] * Sonia drives, drives, drives the bus. Gently across the plain. You wanna keep 'em from backing off, drop that helicopter on them. * Gordo points up. "They're as caught up as they want to be." <@Brett> [Alysha nods. "If you think you can take out that chopper, do it."] (Where is the chopper relative to us? Directly over head?) <@Brett> ( Yup ) (And about how high up?) <@Brett> ( it's starting to descend, but maybe about 500 ft. ) (Too for for me, for sure.) (far rather!) (Typing is hard.) (So is trying to find the range incriments in the book again!) <@Brett> ( I'm having a hard time finding it too ) * Gordo sticks his head out the window to look up. "Not unless somebody wants to hold my legs while I line up a riffle shot straight up out the window. Christ, who I wouldn't kill for a sunroof or another ten minutes and a sawsall." (Page 144) (Gordo has extended range, so he can hit with the riffle from here just fine, but it's a really crazy shot.) <@Brett> ( Alright ) (Also has the abilities that null the penalties for shooting at a moving target from a moving target) <@Brett> ( Go for it ) (full attacking because WHY NOT) 2d6+10 Gordo rolls 2D6+10: 3 6 +10 = 19 <@Brett> [Gordo hits the helicopter, which, having crit failed, spirals downwards until it crashes onto the road behind you, abruptly stopping the convoy as well.] * Montana whistles. "Nice shot, Gordo!" * Gordo climbs back into the bus and rubs at the spot on his back where the windowsill was. "Poor sods. Probably deserved it." <@Brett> [Alysha grins. "I'm impressed."] * Shiho swears in Japanese, then says in English, "Well fucking done, Gordo!" * Gordo starts to grin. <@Brett> [The wreckage slows the convoy down, allowing you to continue your journey in peace. Yay!] (Also, looking, I should have taken a -2 penalty to that. I'm sorry.) (I misread how the abilities worked) <@Brett> [It's not until around 10:30 a.m. that you run into the second obstacle: Fallen trees across the road.] * Sonia slows the bus to a stop. How much farther to go? (Is it still just grass on either side of the road?) <@Brett> [Not much further at all. You can actually barely see the mountains the mine is in on the horizon.] <@Brett> ( Yep ) * Gordo looks out the front. "No chance a going round?" (I assume not.) (In a bus.) <@Brett> [12 men suddenly appear, 6 on either side of the bus, standing on either side of the bus. some wear dusty looking khakis, some wear grass skirts. All have similar intricate scarring patterns on their bodies that Zola did. And they're armed: most have spears. 3 have bows, one has a pistol so old looking it might have been used in WW2.] <@Brett> [Alysha peeks out at them. "Great. That's all we needed."] (He could probably buy the country if he sold that thing.) <@Brett> [One of them waves his arms and shouts something none of you can understand!] * Sonia says, "Well, now we can't." Anybody speak whatever that was? Alysha? * Nigel shakes his head. "Not one of mine." <@Brett> [Alysha nods. "He's demanding we exit the bus."] <@Brett> [Alysha looks between Shiho and Sonia. "I'll go talk to them. Shiho, come with me, but leave your weapons. The rest of you.... Be ready if something happens."] * Gordo nods. * Nigel nods holds his crossbow ready. (nods and holds) * Sonia turns sideways in her seat, making sure she's got gun and explosives ready. <@Brett> ( That was supposed to be asking Shiho and Sonia to go with her. Whoopsie ) * Shiho looks really miffed as she puts her sword and pistol down, but does so and follows Alysha out. * Gordo moves to the back of the bus where it'll be less likely that he'll accidently clobber somebody with the riffle. * Montana frowns, but he stays where he is, pistol out of sight but certainly ready to use it. <@Brett> [Alysha exits the bus to talk to them! Words are said! The man starts of sounding angry and threatening, but by the end Alysha must have said something right, because he and the others are grinning. He motions, and the other men begin clearing the trees. They exchange a few more words, then Alysha gets back on the bus, a big grin on her face. "All done!"] Good work Ma'am. What happened? * Shiho sighs in relief as she puts her weapons back where they belong. * Gordo resets the safty on his riffle. * Nigel nods. "That did seem to go well?. You are getting remarkably good at not getting shot at or kidnapped. I am starting to think you made some sort of pact with a demon that you should tell us about." <@Brett> ["First, they were expecting Batu bringing more slaves from behind. Then when they saw we were foreigners, they thought we'd come to raid the mines."] <@Brett> [Alysha grins, "When I mentioned we were investigating the major, their tune changed quick."] This guy's lackin' friends, that's for sure. Ya gotta figure, with his plan. <@Brett> [She nods. "They want him stopped as much as we do. I don't think they know about his cultist tendancies, but he's got a bad reputation nonetheless."] * Sonia ::resumes driving:: <@Brett> [Alysha grins. "Anyhow, we can pass now. They'll probably keep that convoy off us, too."] Sounds good. <@Brett> [Onward you drive! Not long after, the grasslands give way to mostly-barren wasteland. Then, you reach the mountains. The trail up to the mine is long and winding. And more importantly, too steep for the bus.] * Gordo eyes the trail. "Next time we send Monty to steal the bird astead of letting me shoot her down." Looks like this's our stop. And I'm guessin'... * Montana starts stripping. Well, not really. Just getting that top layer of clothes off for the stealth suit underneath. He eyes his hat, then hands it over to Sonia for save keeping. On her head. * Sonia tilts her head slightly to make the hat placement easy, casual-like, before saying, "Yeah, you got a launcher to throw him up at it?" * Gordo digs a pad of paper out of his pocket and scribbles something down. "It's on the list." <@Brett> [Sara stares at Montana, blushing a bit. "You were wearing something like that underneath the whole time? It's really tight."] Good plannin'. * Sonia glances at Sara staring at Montana, over her sunglasses, then back out the door. * Shiho gets off the bus and stretches. (Alysha's planning on putting Montana on the 'Men of Vollenstein' calendar at some point.) <@Brett> [Alysha snickers, then slips on some pink-tinted shades before stepping out. "Hiking! Though I can't say I've ever been in a mine before."] <@Brett> ( You know it. :O ) * Gordo sighs, puts the pad back, and then straps his riffle over his shoulder. "Let's just get this over with." * Nigel straps his crossbow back in and places his hand on the hilt of his sword as he exits. * Gordo also, does the whole getting out of the bus thing at some point. * Sonia puts her suitcase down and goes through Pretty Sailor Sonia transformation process as the car suits-up on her. It vibrates slightly and she rolls her eyes, before muttering, "Now two of you, really," before she steps out as well. <@Brett> [Sara exits last, trying not to look at Montana but stealing glimpses anyway.] * Shiho catches Sara stealing glimpses and asks mildly, "Aren't you a professional?" * Montana says to Sara, "It's a necessity, ma'am," before pulling the mask over his face and head and heading on up. <@Brett> ["Wha?" Sara blinks a few times, then looks at Shiho. "Of course I am!" And she stalks off up the mountain, keeping ahead of Montana.] <@Brett> [Alysha stays in the back, still snickering. * Shiho covers a smirk as she keeps pace next to Alysha. * Gordo rolls his eyes and starts walking. * Montana lets Sara pass him without a fuss. If he needs to get ahead of her to scout, it's not like he can't do that. There's a bemused look on his face, not that anyone can see it. * Nigel trots up next to Shiho and whispers, "Now you've done it? she was almost not blushing for a full ten minutes." He smiles. * Sonia walks near enough to Nigel and Shiho to comment, lowly, "Well, looking ain't a crime. Just a good idea to stop at some point." * Shiho says, quietly enough that her voice won't carry to Sara, "She needs to keep an eye on our surroundings, not our people." (I HAVE SUPER EARS) (HO HO HO) <@Brett> [You head up the mountain! At the end of the trail, you find the mine entrance, with a small shack nearby, an office for the foreman no doubt. And a working toilet. Several stumps litter the area, a few wayward trees that managed to grow in this wasteland before they were cutdown to make room for the mine. Rails lead inward, like a tongue into the dark mouth of the cave.] 2d6+6 Sonia rolls 2D6+6: 1 3 +6 = 10 * Nigel shakes his head. "Well that's not ominous." (Need to charge the laptop. Going to switch computers.) <@Brett> ( meep ) * Nigel is now known as DreMac ... At least it's not a gaint skull. (What've Sonia and I got for visions, Brett?) * Dreol (TwistedRid@173-21-242-96.client.mchsi.com) has joined #mc5 * Dreol is now known as Nigel 2d6+6 Montana rolls 2D6+6: 3 3 +6 = 12 * Nigel is now known as Dreol * Dreol is now known as Nigel <@Brett> [Nothing unusual! :D] (Okay then!) * Montana says quietly, "Ain't pickin' up nothin' on infrared. Want me to scout ahead, and you guys move behind as a group?" <@Brett> d7 <@Brett> 1d7 Brett rolls 1D7: 5 * Gordo nods. "Radio back if you're bringing friends." <@Brett> ( Sonia, gimme a defense roll at a -2 ) 2d6+4 Sonia rolls 2D6+4: 5 5 +4 = 14 <@Brett> [By some miracle, Sonia just happens to look down in time to notice a hand coming out of a puddle of blackness swipe at her ankle with a broad, curved knife. She pulls her foot out of the way in time as it disappears.] * Sonia does a little hop with that pull, and comms as she gestures down, ~Shadow--somethin'!~ ~Fucking shadow tried to stab me!~ <@Brett> [And then an eerie masculine voice echos around the area in heavily accented English: "You are on sacred ground. You had best leave now."] * Gordo pulls down his nightvision goggles and unslings his riffle. * Shiho pulls out her sword. <@Brett> [A pool of inky blackness opens in fron of the mine, between you and the entrance, and a man emerges. He wears camo fatigues of an unusual color: gold with blue splotches. his arms are folded over his chest, but in his palms he has two bladed discus that could best be described as five-pronged buzzsaws. He's got particularly thick eyeshadow, and hiss lips are chalk-white. "You had best leave," <@Brett> he repeats, "Because if you don't..." His eyes narrow. "I might get angry."] <@Brett> [Roll init!] <@Brett> [Too late session end!]