Trinity Universe: Holo Lives

[knave]

Chrome Prime: On The Holy Mountian

Tiger in trouble

Daniel pulls out his screamer, what an idiot, and starts to run down the corridor.

Daniel dashes into the cloud of dust billowing from the newest gash in the mountainside - his explosives having apparently done their work perfectly.

The rest of the group follows more carefully and with weapons drawn. Taka follows last, keeping watch over an almost obviously resentful Caroline Hsu.

In the tunnel

"One of the f*ckers got past me! I repeat: You've got one incoming chromie. I think it's wounded."

Daniel quickly realises that something is moving toward him - claws scratching on rock - coming closer fast! His screamer snaps up, ready, but the sounds of movement stop. He KNOWS that the creature is just ahead... flush up against the wall - hiding. He KNOWS that if he stops moving the creature will know that he knows!

Having reported, Tiger turns back to the tunnel in front of him. He quickly moves around a bend to get out of the others' line of fire when they run into the wounded chromatic, and proceeds down the hallway until it starts widening and becoming brighter. Looking for the best combination of view and concealment, he waits there for the rest of the team and reports his observations.

Tiger moves down the corridor some way, with weapon ready and air supply active now to counteract the wave of dust thrown up by the explosion. He is painfully aware that he is now 'behind enemy lines'. The glimmer of light from the entrance fades to nothing... Faint scraping sounds come from some distance up ahead, although the tunnel's slow curve still hides what this is from view.

[Archer21]

"Right, we need to take at least one of these Chromatics alive - so that our Ministry friend here can pry the location of the nearest 'Witness' from it's brain. Take all of them alive if possible, but obviously not to the detriment of everyone's health..."

As he falls in line with everyone else, Harker curses himself for not warning Tiger sooner. Moving close to Hastings, he asks quietly, "Is it alright if I take point with Tiger? Maybe I can help."

[Umoja]

No back up. Nothing. The Old Man warned against this. Here he was though stuck on an alien Planet, caught in a trap with no back up. He slams his back to the wall and levels his screamer, and starts to walk back slowly. Trying to focus enough to sense where the Chromatic is as he slowly walks backwards. Stupid clairvoyance!

[knave]

No back up. Nothing. The Old Man warned against this.  Here he was though stuck on an alien Planet, caught in a trap with no back up.

Daniel's old fear blinds him momentarily, but then he sees the rest of the group approaching. They are moving cautiously. They are seconds away now...

He slams his back to the wall and levels his screamer, and starts to walk back slowly. Trying to focus enough to sense where the Chromatic is as he slowly walks backwards. Stupid clairvoyance!

It's all going to be timing now... Just timing. Daniel's perspective narrows - he KNOWS that he is looking straight at it... he KNOWS that it is no more than ten feet from him. He can sense it moving toward him, following the curve of the wall, but he can see nothing but rock and dust. He can hear nothing but the distant fighting and the quiet footfalls of his approaching comrades.

He backs up. It is coming closer. Closer. It's in screamer range. The ones inside could leap the distance...

[Umoja]

Shudder. All those years. Life seems to flash before Daniels eyes, a very dramatic thing for a Clear. Years litterally seem to playback through his mind, from birth until the present. But he's still here.

Daniel makes sure his weapon is on full power, and closing his eyes to the dust, he aims his gun at the approaching Chromatic. Firing off as many blast at it as he can, before something stops him.

[ProfPotts]

"Is it alright if I take point with Tiger? Maybe I can help."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to crimp the lad's style, old boy. That, & the fact that we don't want all our Clairsentient's running off half-cocked..." ::sly

If Hastings gets close enough to become aware of the Chromatic (with his very average & mundane human senses ::rolleyes ), he'll fire a couple of darts into the thing.

[knave]

The screamer twists out its ultrasonic howl AGAIN and AGAIN - an electric jackhammer in Daniel's shaking hand. The thing doesn't even slow. It leaps. Daniel is down - 75 kilograms of muscle and malice pinning him to the ground... somehow he feels an inner dislocation. He watches from a higher vantage, wierdly above everything. He sees the grey, shifting, now shimmering creature pinning his body. He sees that the scarring on its skull is old, a mark of some former war. He sees Robert Hastings emerging from the dust like a two-fisted gunslinger firing. He sees as darts hiss into the creature in slow-mo. Faraway he feels pressure on his chest. It leaps again, but the others come into view. Rochester and Hsu and Harker, weapons levelled. It lands in front of Hastings...

and then... incredibly, it cowers, lowering its head... dull lights flash across its body. Dull patterns. A long, high whine cringes its way out from its belly-mouth.

The ChromicatorIII ping's into action "Please Don't Hurt Small Howler Scar!" it flashes down to Harker. "Please Don't Hurt" >>>Distress<<<

The Chromatic drops to its haunches. Its head thumps down to the tunnel floor. Its eyes close and its lights dim to something like that of the fungus overhead.

[Daniel is merely shaken and a bit dusty from this whole experience]

[Archer21]

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to crimp the lad's style, old boy. That, & the fact that we don't want all our Clairsentient's running off half-cocked..."

"I understand..guess I'm just feeling a bit useless right now..."

As the group trains their weapons on the Chromatic, Roosevelt throws out a hand to stop them from firing. "Wait! It surrenders. It seems pretty scared, let's see if it can help us find a Witness." While waiting for Hsu to come forward, Harker studies the creature, and it's responses, trying to conceive the best way to communicate with it.

[knave]

Caroline Hsu walks forward with only a glance toward Hastings.

The small woman puts down her weapon and places a now gloveless right hand on the beast's scarred head.

A shiver runs through the creature, but Hsu raises her left hand - 'Wait'. Her right hand tacks its way down the chromatic's body.

"It is sleeping... The darts are working. "

"There is deception here... yes. This creature is an informer in this place. This one is a spy for another chief - someone called Firehands? It was sent here because it is a liar. It has seen a 'bright one' - I'm not sure if that's a witness or not. They are above the great chamber further inside. They like to be...near the sky? "

She stands and wipes a bead of sweat from her brow.

"I apologise. For all my practice, these creatures remain extremely difficult to read, but I do not believe that this one or 'Firehands' is a friend to these Witnesses."

[ProfPotts]

If there's no more immediate threats, Hastings makes sure that his dart guns are both fully loaded, then asks Ms Hsu if she has all the information she can get from the Chromatic. If she does, the Englishman draws his vibroblade & stabs it cleanly through each of the alien's brains (unless someone stops him... ::wink ), then calls Tiger to see if he's found a way 'upstairs' yet.

[Archer21]

Eyes wide in horror, Harker does indeed move to intervene. "What are you doing?!" Thinking quickly, he comes up with the best he can on short notice to prevent the cold-blooded murder. "We just found a perfect stool-pigeon, and you want to kill him?"

[Asbjørn]

Tiger moves down the corridor some way, with weapon ready and air supply active now to counteract the wave of dust thrown up by the explosion.  He is painfully aware that he is now 'behind enemy lines'.  The glimmer of light from the entrance fades to nothing...  Faint scraping sounds come from some distance up ahead, although the tunnel's slow curve still hides what this is from view.

*Is that sound coming closer?* Tiger stops dead in his tracks, not moving a muscle while he listens to the movement ahead. Approaching? Getting fainter? More than one? Easing himself slowly closer to the wall he's alert for any sign of movement in front of him and checks his visuals again.

*Ok. LoLites: Bad idea. That flash could have got me killed. But they're cold-blooded, right? So the regular chromies shouldn't be able to do that to a thermal or IR scope. If I run into one of the packleaders I guess I'm screwed anyway, so no point in worrying about that.* He switches between the various vision types, settling on the IR.

*I wonder if they can spot the beam? Passive imaging would be best, but thermal is no good and LoLites are too risky...* Staying low and close to the inner curve of the wall Tiger moves carefully and silently forward.

[knave]

In the tunnel

Caroline Hsu nods slowly at Hasting's question. "If I had more time, perhaps, but not now. She pulls on her glove, wincing as she does so... She appears about to fall, but steadies herself. Her face quickly returns to its impassive state,

She merely watches as Hastings moves to end the unconscious creature's life, though seems amused by Harker's move to intervene.

"That creature is very much like you, Special Agent Hastings."

With that comment she turns her gaze down the corridor - the dust having cleared considerably already.

Tiger stops dead in his tracks, not moving a muscle while he listens to the movement ahead. Approaching? Getting fainter? More than one? Easing himself slowly closer to the wall he's alert for any sign of movement in front of him and checks his visuals again.

Tiger focusses his senses. He hasn't spent a lot of time in caves, but knows full well that sound can be deceptive in confined and oddly shaped spaces. After a bit of consideration he realises that what he is hearing is a fairly busy intersection where multiple sets of claws scratch stone as their owners scurry about. None appears to be coming in his direction, at present - suggesting that they either don't know or have more immediate cares.

Staying low and close to the inner curve of the wall Tiger moves carefully and silently forward.

Tiger's advance is not contested, and eventually he sees why. The corridor opens into the inside of a smoothed 'rock bubble' of an intersection where low power electric lighting from irregularly scattered, grid-covered bulbs illuminate things further. Five other paths lead off in various directions from the wide chamber, however, the bubble is perhaps twelve meters high and Tiger's tunnel enters it at a higher level than any of the others making for, what might easily be called, a 'deadly' vantage point. A narrow ledge winds its way up the side of the decorated rock to each of the side tunnels, underlining the fact that Chromatics are excellent climbers.

Looking down Tiger sees the source of the sounds. Three Chromatics are scampering their way down towards one of the two 'downward' tunnels. Their lights are flickering red, blue and back. They are obviously highly agitated. Another emerges, this one from an upward leading tunnel - the next highest and diagonally across from Tiger's location - and leaps down to the floor, barking viciously at the others, its lights flaring brightly. The three drop to all fours and accelerate.

[Asbjørn]

Readying a few grenades in case they're needed, Tiger calls Hastings and speaks quietly into the comm.

"Hastings. I've reached a bubble-like chamber about twelve meters high. There are five other tunnels, none of them with a higher exit point than ours. I just saw four chromies make their way downward. The leader came from the second highest tunnel. I can't tell from here which directions the tunnels go."

"The way to my position is safe, and this tunnel is easy to defend and offers a good vantage point. Moving to one of the other tunnels is not gonna be safe. Narrow ledges and few handholds. The chromies are good climbers, when they don't just jump. Wouldn't be any problem in a safe environment, but covering each other while we cross is gonna be tricky. Unless we decide to go down of course. That's easy."

[ProfPotts]

"We just found a perfect stool-pigeon, and you want to kill him?"

The Englishman pauses & looks at Harker quizzically,

"Ms Hsu just told us that to the best of the thing's knowledge we need to head up - what more do you want to know? We can grab another one further down the line & see if it knows more. We're not here to collect pets, old fruit - or didn't you get the memo about the little war we're having? You see a stool-pigeon, I see a liability. As a wise man once said - the enemy of my enemy is still an alien Hell-bent on wiping out my entire species..." ::sly

Even so, Hastings stands & puts his knife away. Facing Harker squarely he says,

"Still, since you think it'll be useful to the mission, then you can take responsibility for it - & it's actions. Kill it or keep it - just make sure it doesn't put me, the team, or the mission at risk."

"That creature is very much like you, Special Agent Hastings."

Hastings raises an eyebrow,

"Oh, go on then, I'm sure you're dying to explain that cryptic comment to us all, Celestial lady - please, enlighten us." ::rolleyes

"Hastings. I've reached a bubble-like chamber about twelve meters high. There are five other tunnels, none of them with a higher exit point than ours. I just saw four chromies make their way downward. The leader came from the second highest tunnel. I can't tell from here which directions the tunnels go."

"The way to my position is safe, and this tunnel is easy to defend and offers a good vantage point. Moving to one of the other tunnels is not gonna be safe. Narrow ledges and few handholds. The chromies are good climbers, when they don't just jump. Wouldn't be any problem in a safe environment, but covering each other while we cross is gonna be tricky. Unless we decide to go down of course. That's easy."

"Copy that. We're moving to your location - stand by."

As the team move up to Tiger's position, Hastings comments,

"Okay - it looks like it's time for you Clairsentients to prove your worth - find us the best route to the chamber Ms Hsu mentioned. If you can't, we'll bag another Chromatic or two & 'ask' again."

Glancing at Harker he adds,

"You can rescue them all, start your own herd..." ::sly

[Archer21]

"Still, since you think it'll be useful to the mission, then you can take responsibility for it - & it's actions. Kill it or keep it - just make sure it doesn't put me, the team, or the mission at risk."

Jaw set, Harker faces Hastings just as squarely. "What I'd like to know more about is the whole bloody species. In this case, specifically I'd like to know more about their politics, who this Firehand is, and whether or not we've stepped into an internal war, which could make our mission considerably more difficult." Taking a deep breath, he seems to calm down. "But, you're right. It is a liability, and our mission is to grab a Witness, not some flunkie."

Sighing, Harker steps over to the sleeping Chromie and looks down at it sadly. "I'm sorry, Scar." With swift precision, the scholar draws one of the many knives on his person and slays the aliens, stabbing through the core branch of their nervous systems.

"You can rescue them all, start your own herd..."

A wave of anger flushes Harker's face, but he keeps his mouth shut as he wipes clean his blade. Closing his eyes, he centers himself, then opens his eyes again...his expression now resembling that of the other clears, seeming to focus on something beyond his immediate surroundings.

[ezekiel]

"Okay - it looks like it's time for you Clairsentients to prove your worth - find us the best route to the chamber Ms Hsu mentioned. If you can't, we'll bag another Chromatic or two & 'ask' again."

"Well, if its de same place I'm tinking of, I know where it is and de way to get there."

[Umoja]

Daniel nods and starts to focus, his eyes going dull, and his walking erratic. He seems even more detached then usual, this time expecting to see Tiger's body torn to shreds, and knowing he can do nothing about it. He quickly begans to scan the tunnels with as many senses as he can accomadate at once.

[Asbjørn]

"Okay - it looks like it's time for you Clairsentients to prove your worth - find us the best route to the chamber Ms Hsu mentioned. If you can't, we'll bag another Chromatic or two & 'ask' again."

"Well, if its de same place I'm tinking of, I know where it is and de way to get there."

"Er... If it's the place I'm thinking of, I'm already there..." ::confused

[ProfPotts]

"Well, if its de same place I'm tinking of, I know where it is and de way to get there."

"Er... If it's the place I'm thinking of, I'm already there..."

Hastings asks the Clairsentients & Ms Hsu,

"So, is that intersection Tigger reported the 'great chamber'? If so, what's the best route to the place 'above' it where the 'bright one' is?"

[knave]

"Oh, go on then, I'm sure you're dying to explain that cryptic comment to us all, Celestial lady - please, enlighten us." ::rolleyes

Caroline Hsu returns his look, levelly. ”I meant only that it is also a cold hearted killer that remains untouchable even amongst its allies. I hope that this observation does not offend you.”

With swift precision, the scholar draws one of the many knives on his person and slays the aliens, stabbing through the core branch of their nervous systems.

Pale red blood bubbles from the various stab wounds Harker is forced to make for a clean kill. The creature’s death-rattle is thankfully minimal and soon over.

A wave of anger flushes Harker's face, but he keeps his mouth shut as he wipes clean his blade. Closing his eyes, he centers himself, then opens his eyes again...his expression now resembling that of the other clears, seeming to focus on something beyond his immediate surroundings.

Daniel nods and starts to focus, his eyes going dull, and his walking erratic. He seems even more detached then usual, this time expecting to see Tiger's body torn to shreds, and knowing he can do nothing about it. He quickly begans to scan the tunnels with as many senses as he can accomadate at once.

The two clears open themselves to the psi flow and focus…

Tiger (thankfully alive), looking down over an empty cavern… paths leading off… Two lead up, one more so than the other – this is the next highest and diagonally opposite to Tiger’s position. Quickly vision extends along this corridor – it is much like the one the group is now in, except this one’s paintings are more faded, and the floor is more worn along the centre. It twists about and connects with another intersection but the path continues its gentle upward spiral marred here and there by sudden short but sharp inclines…. A pair of guards with old style Orgotek looking laser carbines and webbing stand guard at the entrance to a HUGE chamber. A flickering image of throngs of Chromatics standing listening enraptured presents itself for a split-second and is gone. The chamber is empty, almost. Light Speak ripples over the stone grain of the chamber’s dome-like ceiling. A high point – a natural cliff stage rises some ten meters from the back of the chamber, it is almost entirely separated from the rest of the huge cavern by an inky chasm. Where the chasm does not block access deep, narrow steps have been precisely carved into the grey rock. It is from this platform that the ‘voices’ are coming… Atop the platform, four chromatics stand speaking simultaneously – three of the group seem focussed on the fourth, which is bowing its head submissively. (Strangely, this submissive one is the biggest alien that either of the clears has seen so far and is the only one of the group to be armed) The other three creatures are marked by one common feature – all three of them have milky, white stained fore-eyes and all three of them seem to glimmer with a continuous bluish tint. Behind this stage are several more chambers – living quarters – these open further into a courtyard under a dark dome where a large column shaped piece of alien hard technology angles up toward the dome, almost but not quite reaching it. Surrounding the barrel are Biotech computers and a group of smaller, duller chromatics who run back and forth amongst them.

"So, is that intersection Tigger reported the 'great chamber'? If so, what's the best route to the place 'above' it where the 'bright one' is?"

”I am not certain, but it seems unlikely – unless that is a gathering place”

{If described, Talvin will realise that this is definitely the chamber that he was intending to go to all along : p}

The group soon reaches Tiger’s location, which is now clear of Aliens.

[Asbjørn]

When the rest of the team approaches behind him, Tiger turns slightly and smiles to the first of them. "What took you so long?" ::tongue

He points to the second highest tunnel entrance and says in a slightly more serious tone "That's the one I think we have to go for. But there's no way of knowing - for me, at least - how long we're gonna be alone here, so we'd better move fast. If one of you clears can check if we have a window, that'd be great."

Glancing over at Hastings, he adds "I suggest we set up a rope directly across the chamber to the tunnel and slide over. The angle is perfect..."

After a brief pause he asks "You still want me up front, or should we send someone who can actually see them coming? Recon by clairvoyance is ten times faster, and we need to move quickly on this."

[ezekiel]

"So, is that intersection Tigger reported the 'great chamber'? If so, what's the best route to the place 'above' it where the 'bright one' is?"

Talvin pauses a second before answering

"No, Tiger is much too low to be at the right place...We have to go up"

Talvin kneels over the body of the chromatic, removes his gloves and lies his hand on the carcass. After a brief pause he gets up and meets the others with Tiger

He points to the second highest tunnel entrance and says in a slightly more serious tone "That's the one I think we have to go for. But there's no way of knowing - for me, at least - how long we're gonna be alone here, so we'd better move fast. If one of you clears can check if we have a window, that'd be great."

"Its this way" Talvin heads towards... (dunno if Tiger chose the right one)

[Archer21]

"No, Tiger is much too low to be at the right place...We have to go up"

Harker nods his agreement. "He's right. The chamber is above Tiger's current position. Based on what I saw, there are possibly three Witnesses up there, but there are also some armed Chromatics. Two guards at the front entrance, and one large warrior with the Witnesses...the Witnesses themselves are at the far end of the chamber, on a platform or stage. There is an exit behind them that leads to what looks like living quarters and a courtyard filled with equipment, along with more Chromatics, but these look like servants or workers, not warriors." Tapping his lips thoughtfully, he says, "Definitely seems to be a caste-based society. Warriors, workers, priests...hmm..."

Seeing the others staring at him, he forces himself out of his academic pondering. "Er, well...the good news is the Witnesses should be easily identified. They have a slight blue glow around them, and their eyes are milky, like advanced cataracts. I've no idea how we can get close enough to grab one before they flee."

[knave]

The tunnel that Tiger points out is indeed the correct one as designated by the clears and Caroline Hsu and is within easy grapnel range and perfect angle for a quick slide.

[ProfPotts]

”I meant only that it is also a cold hearted killer that remains untouchable even amongst its allies. I hope that this observation does not offend you.”

"Good job it's dead then. No offense taken - your observations are your own, dear lady, & reveal much about you." ::sly

"I suggest we set up a rope directly across the chamber to the tunnel and slide over. The angle is perfect..."

Hastings gives the set-up a brief look, then replies,

"Do it. Tigger, then Taka go across, followed by Ms Hsu, then the rest of us. The Clairsentients can keep a 'third-eye' out whilst the others are crossing."

"You still want me up front, or should we send someone who can actually see them coming? Recon by clairvoyance is ten times faster, and we need to move quickly on this."

"Recon via clairvoyance can also be done from any distance - your brand is up-close & personal. No offense to our Psion friends, but I'd rather not have to rely on a single method of scouting when we have two available."

To the Clairsentients he adds,

"Try to keep us all informed of what you're seeing, okay? Feel free to narrate as we go along - let's not let little Tigger walk blindly into any more enemies." ::sly

[Asbjørn]

"Do it. Tigger, then Taka go across, followed by Ms Hsu, then the rest of us. The Clairsentients can keep a 'third-eye' out whilst the others are crossing."

Tiger nods, then hooks the grenades back on his webbing before he picks up the grapnel gun and fires the bolt into the tunnel wall on the other side so it's possible to slide over without having to worry about falling down when unhooking from the line. He then secures the other end in the tunnel wall on this side.

"Recon via clairvoyance can also be done from any distance - your brand is up-close & personal. No offense to our Psion friends, but I'd rather not have to rely on a single method of scouting when we have two available."

"Gotcha. Actually, I prefer not getting too intimate with this kind of enemy, but it's kinda hard to avoid..." ::confused

Looking around at the psions, he asks

"All clear?"

If there's no immediate threat, he hooks himself onto the line and slides over. Unhooking on the other side he moves a few meters up the tunnel and keeps an eye and ear out for the enemy, leaving Taka to watch over the chamber and the rest of the team as they cross.

Once they're all over he starts moving up the tunnel, weapon ready, taking directions from the clears when offered and following his own instincts when not.

[ezekiel]

Talvin's hand vibrates as he touches Scar's now fresh corpse, tuning to the now fading dead alien's signal

You shuffle from the shadows as you always do and dip your snout before a beautiful female. Her lights show pleasure at the sight of you… elation fills the hollow space inside you. Meaningless lights flash before your eyes and the pain returns… ‘OUTCAST’… Now you are above the chamber. You carry a piece of heavy equipment and flicker only a word or two. Stupid Scar is only good for carrying. Stupid Scar wants to help. No one takes notice. Only one saw Scar as he watched the three in their private room… >>>A blur of Violence<<<… A pure globe of flickering white witch light emerges from each of the three ancient chromatics. The globes meet and coalesce into a single sphere… Words start to form in your mind…. Fear ripples through you – your awareness grows more acute as your eyespots blink/shiver…you run… Another time… Plasma blasts past you as you scamper away… You see the female from before/later flaring brilliantly – her light-words become a deadly weapon. You see the strange upright creatures with their odd gait lurching towards your position jerkily with flames and acid blasting from their hands as your warriors swarm forward and try to … you keep going…[ABERRANTS!]… The Mountain…Explosions are occurring all about. Chromatics are flashing words all about you. You drop the equipment you are carrying… You shuffle down a narrow tunnel and hover behind a bank of organic machinery. You reach forth and take hold of an artery, starting to squeeze… An explosion occurs very nearby. You let go and run…

Moments pass as Talvin thinks upon what he's just seen...

"Gentlemen...Congratulations, you may have just killed a witness."

[ProfPotts]

"Gentlemen...Congratulations, you may have just killed a witness."

"Your timing is impeccable..." ::rolleyes

Turning to Ms Hsu, Hastings asks,

"Any chance that damaged one was a witness? Not that it matters much now, of course, but I'd like to know - for future reference - exactly how we're meant to identify these fellows if even our psychic experts can't agree as to whether one of these things is a witness or not..." ::angry

[ezekiel]

"De good news is tha tif I'm right, I believe there are at least three others...This one stumbled upon them since he was more or less a slave and no one took any notice of him crawling above the high chamber. I saw white globes emerge from the three and coalesce into one luminous sphere. I believe it communicated telepathically with Scar...that was his name by the way. He ran away in fear and others tried to kill him. I guess we did their dirty work for them..."

[knave]

Caroline Hsu looks at Hastings impassively. "Perhaps, but I don't believe so. The creature was self interested - intent only on reporting to its master for some reward. From what I understand of these witnesses they are priests? That one was a spy and a murderer and an outcast - not a guide or a leader." She shrugs primly and tilts her head ever so slightly. "But as I have said, these aliens are very difficult to read." She glances at Talvin. "Perhaps also difficult in ways other than Telepathically." Her voice clearly suggesting that she believes that Talvin has it all wrong.

[knave]

The tac radio crackles to life. "SSSilverfishhhh Moray Alpha: Contact with marines established! We’ve got the litter bastards bottled up good… Some snuck past onto our flank earlier, but we weeded them out and are now holding them at their current positions…."

With the clears sensing that the way is currently unopposed, Tiger expertly fires his grapnel and the group take turns to cross the intersection chamber using the grapnel’s slide-runner. Tiger and Taka take up advance positions and head up the tunnel with the group following. The tunnel here is wider and more worn as the clears reported earlier, and the organic smells of decomposing refuse and waste increase as the group continue up what is mostly a gentle incline punctuated with three short but near vertical ‘cliffs’ which turn out to be easily scalable. The clears report no aliens present at the second junction, and indeed the chamber is bare, but otherwise similar to the first.

Some twenty minutes after their entrance, the group gathers before what the clears report to be the final bend before the ‘great hall’ becomes visible. The sensing clears report that after the bend the tunnel widens out from its around three meter current diameter to closer to ten meters by the entrance to the great chamber, where the two chromatics warriors stand guard with laser carbines drawn. Further clearsentient scans of the large chamber reveals four other entrances along its length, one of which is also guarded by a pair of similarly armed warriors. All four of the figures from the raised platform are now in the first chamber leading off from the high point. Tracing their sight down the various side passageways leading from the chamber reveals more and more empty passageway before an empty though recently occupient and probably relatively newly dug barracks (with no cave art on the walls beyond a few simple scrawlings) is reached, as well as a stripped armoury and even further away still is a chamber that contains a spring and some biotech machinery that is likely some sort of water pump. Immediately around the bend the path continues gently upslope into the great chamber - ten meters worth of zero cover.

”.ssssHHSSShit ****! All personell return to drop ships – all personell – return to drop ships! We have reports of aberrants in this gridloc, repeat – reports of Aberrants in this gridloc. Our flyboys are taking a pounding. The Admiral orders full retreat for threat reassessment. Repeat – full retreat!”

[Asbjørn]

”.ssssHHSSShit ****!  All personell return to drop ships – all personell – return to drop ships! We have reports of aberrants in this gridloc, repeat – reports of Aberrants in this gridloc.  Our flyboys are taking a pounding.  The Admiral orders full retreat for threat reassessment.  Repeat – full retreat!”

"There's Murphy for ya..." ::rolleyes

Hearing the clear's report of the two guards, Tiger leans against the wall just before the bend. Holding out his hand with two grenades lying in his palm, one liquid nitrogen and one anti-chromie smoke grenade, he looks to Hastings.

"Go get'em?"

[ezekiel]

From what I understand of these witnesses they are priests? That one was a spy and a murderer and an outcast - not a guide or a leader." She shrugs primly and tilts her head ever so slightly. "But as I have said, these aliens are very difficult to read." She glances at Talvin. "Perhaps also difficult in ways other than Telepathically." Her voice clearly suggesting that she believes that Talvin has it all wrong.

"I didn't say he was a leader..."

”.ssssHHSSShit ****! All personell return to drop ships – all personell – return to drop ships! We have reports of aberrants in this gridloc, repeat – reports of Aberrants in this gridloc. Our flyboys are taking a pounding. The Admiral orders full retreat for threat reassessment. Repeat – full retreat!”

"Yes, I was going to mention dat. There is some aberrant activity some twenty or thirty clicks northwest of here. I didn't tink dey would retreat the dropships, we had better hurry. I believe we can reach a witness by taking the [insert right tunnel] once we're in the main hall. We're almost there."

"There's Murphy for ya..." 

Hearing the clear's report of the two guards, Tiger leans against the wall just before the bend. Holding out his hand with two grenades lying in his palm, one liquid nitrogen and one anti-chromie smoke grenade, he looks to Hastings.

"Go get'em?"

"We must hurry...perhaps we should smoke the room and have you follow me with thermal imaging? We do not need to get stuck up on a useless firefight."

[ProfPotts]

”.ssssHHSSShit ****! All personell return to drop ships – all personell – return to drop ships! We have reports of aberrants in this gridloc, repeat – reports of Aberrants in this gridloc. Our flyboys are taking a pounding. The Admiral orders full retreat for threat reassessment. Repeat – full retreat!”

"Ignore that - it doesn't apply to us."

"Go get'em?"

Hastings checks the granade launchers mounted under each of his coil carbines, making sure he's got anti-Chromatic smokes loaded. To the group he says,

"Priority, as always, is to bag a witness - we go in hard & fast, lay as much smoke as we can, & get to the big cheeses. I want you Clairsentients plotting which way those priests will be running, & keeping us up to date with the general situation - whilst the information is still useful, please, Talvin - We worry about getting out later. Everyone set?"

The Englishman glances at the eager Tiger,

"Time to bounce Tigger..."

To the group as a whole he states,

"Ok chaps - let's kick bottom!"

With that, he rounds the corner, both launchers firing, followed by a storm of fire from the twin carbines. ::2ar15

[ezekiel]

whilst the information is still useful, please, Talvin - We worry about getting out later.

"Getting out? You misunderstood me. Witnesses, ancient ones, priests are not in the Main hall, they're further on. I've been tracking one of them since my communion with Scar."

[Umoja]

Daniel nods mostly in agreement with Talvin and he starts plotting paths through the complex, trying his hardest to keep a complete mental map of the area. His silence seems to have been further spurred on by his faux pas earlier, and he seems to be allowing Talvin to take the lead as the resident clear.

[Archer21]

Harker rolls his eyes at Talvin's responses. For the most part, the academic tries to be patient with his fellow clears, and their tendency to not see the trees for the forest. So many of his brethren in the order spend so much time absorbing information, yet to him, they don't spend nearly enough thinking through what they sense.

Expanding his own senses noetically, Harker locks on to the 3 Witnesses he detected earlier, making a beeline for them. His shotgun held at the ready, he gives a running account of his actions to the others, hoping his teammates keep him covered while his senses are focused elsewhere.

[Asbjørn]

With that, he rounds the corner, both launchers firing, followed by a storm of fire from the twin carbines.

Seeing Hastings load up with smokes, Tiger hooks his own smoke-grenade back on the harness and rounds the corner alongside the englishman. He lobs the cryo towards a point directly in front of (at least one of) the guards, then advances on the entrance while focusing his fire on one of the guards. As soon as Hastings' smokes start clouding the tunnel he holds his fire untill he sees something to shoot.

[knave]

Chrome Prime: An entrance to a large cave

Talvin

"I didn't say he was a leader..."

Caroline Hsu turns her hard, challenging stare towards Talvin.  ”Do you not believe that a priest is a spiritual leader?”  Her dark eyes flick toward Daniel for a moment.  ”Ah, perhaps you do not at that.”

Daniel

Daniel nods mostly in agreement with Talvin and he starts plotting paths through the complex, trying his hardest to keep a complete mental map of the area. His silence seems to have been further spurred on by his faux pas earlier, and he seems to be allowing Talvin to take the lead as the resident clear.

Daniel’s senses press forward and outward and veer back and forth in every direction trying to view everything at once. The situation is as before, this entrance is guarded, as is one of the others along the left side of the hall chamber. The three ‘witnesses’ and the very large ‘warrior’ are within the first ‘living chamber’ above the high stage at the far end of this hall. The ‘warrior’ is interacting with a fair sized piece of beige bioware – roundish and maybe a foot or so in diameter – some sort of radio possibly. No more chromatics are discernable in the relatively short distance that Daniel has time to scan.

Hastings

"Ok chaps - let's kick bottom!"

With that, he rounds the corner, both launchers firing, followed by a storm of fire from the twin carbines. ::2ar15

Taka follows Hastings out, twin LK-carbines firing on full auto.

Tiger

Seeing Hastings load up with smokes, Tiger hooks his own smoke-grenade back on the harness and rounds the corner alongside the englishman. He lobs the cryo towards a point directly in front of (at least one of) the guards, then advances on the entrance while focusing his fire on one of the guards. As soon as Hastings' smokes start clouding the tunnel he holds his fire untill he sees something to shoot.

*Phh-unkPhh-unk**ZZZZZZZZ-HISSSSS—Da-da-da-da-da-da ** Hasting’s guns whine out their electric hymn sending tiny pieces of metal streaking through the stale air toward the unsuspecting guards. Moments later his smoke grenades hit/hiss and Taka’s weapons add their agreeable Russian cacophony. Tiger throws, on target!

Amazingly, one of the aliens manages to bring its weapon to bear as the *BADOOOOOMSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! grenade explodes in a hissing evaporation splash.

The laser blast doesn’t come, but the entrance is now a cloud of dense white gas from the grenade and thick, billowing, plastic chaff thread laden smoke that none of the group’s vision gear can cut through.

A high-pitched ululating wail starts up from the smoke cloud.

They are down, the clears sense – one of them is not dead, but seems to be convulsing in some sort of shock.

Harker

Expanding his own senses noetically, Harker locks on to the 3 Witnesses he detected earlier, making a beeline for them. His shotgun held at the ready, he gives a running account of his actions to the others, hoping his teammates keep him covered while his senses are focused elsewhere.

Harker dashes forward through the cloud, allowing his senses to guide him toward ‘the stage’. He holds to hope and his team as he realises that the two chromatics from the left passage have Flared into a mess of colours and Patterns…Colours and PATTERNS… and are now moving swiftly toward the smoky entranceway and to him.

Still in the passage, Daniel and Talvin realise that the ‘warrior’ who was with the ‘witnesses’ has heard and has grabbed a bioweapon and is coming out of the side chamber and back onto the main 'stage'. It flickers words toward the three who rapidly start speaking to one another brilliantly.