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<blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1326696" data-attributes="member: 6294">&quot;Blast Off!&quot; - Part 22It doesn't take long for the plan to hit a snag.&quot;I can't believe they don't have enough furs for the bag!&quot; Fury stands with legs astride, hands on hips, &quot;They make their clothes from furs, for heaven's sake!&quot;&quot;You may not have noticed, but their clothes are rather small.&quot;&quot;Oh, I've noticed.&quot;S'Ondra scowls,&quot;In any case –&quot; she continues, &quot;- the chief says they have only enough for half of the bag.&nbsp; We will have to find the rest of the furs some other way.&quot;&quot;Did you make sure he's telling the truth?&quot;S'Ondra greets the question with a withering stare.&nbsp; Fury shrugs,&quot;Just asking.&nbsp; So, did he say where we could find more furs?&quot;&quot;Oh, he had lots of ideas.&quot; S'Ondra rolls her eyes, &quot;Mostly, they involved charging off to the nearest tribe, using our 'mighty sky god powers' to enslave them, and then stealing all they had.&quot;&quot;Good man -&quot; Fury catches a glimpse of S'Ondra's expression and smothers his words in a cough, &quot;That is, I mean, Good Lord, what kind of savage would suggest that?&quot; he ponders for a moment, &quot;Maybe I could head out with my pistol and shoot a few of the local animals.&nbsp; How many would I need to kill to get enough furs?&quot;&quot;More than 'a few'.&quot; Is S'Ondra's estimation, &quot;Listen, I've been talking to my duplicate.&quot;&quot;Really?&nbsp; Did she say anything about me?&quot;&quot;No.&nbsp; Now, try to be quiet and listen.&nbsp; She said that there is another tribe, only a few hours away from here –&quot;&quot;I thought you didn't want to attack another tribe?&quot;&quot;I don't want to attack them.&nbsp; I wand to trade with them.&quot;&quot;Oh.&quot; Fury considers this for a moment, then nods, &quot;Sounds reasonable.&nbsp; I'll get the others.&quot;The Captain finds Gustav standing at the edge of the mould, watching as Archie slowly scrapes away the brown covering over the ship of the Pathfinder.&nbsp; Every now and then, a small shudder of distaste runs through the robot's body.&quot;I have found the hatch, Doctor.&quot;&quot;Well done, Archie.&quot; Gustav nods in pleasure, &quot;Now, open ze hatch –&quot;Reeeeaaaaark.&nbsp; There is a screech of tortured metal as the servomotors in the robot's arms go into action, the hatch peeling back and buckling as it is forced open.&nbsp; Fury goes pale.&quot;Could you ask him not to do that?&quot;&quot;Zere is no alternative.&quot; Gustav shrugs apologetically, &quot;Ze controls for ze hatch are within the ship, and we cannot reach zem.&quot;Archie wrenches again, tearing the hatch free.&nbsp; Crumpling the metal into a rough ball, he opens a panel in his chest and deposits the remains of the hatch inside.&nbsp; Then, he reaches into the gloomy opening in the side of the ship, pulling forth the silvery sampler arm.&quot;You must bring it to full extension, Archie.&quot; Gustav calls, &quot;Only zen should you detach it.&quot; He turns his attention to Fury again, &quot;What is it you wished to discuss with me, Captain?&quot;&quot;We're going to need more furs.&quot; Fury winces as Archie begins to drag the sampler arm free from its housing, &quot;S'Ondra and I are going to head over to the next tribe and try to purchase some.&nbsp; I was going to ask if you wanted to come, but you look very busy here.&nbsp; Very important work you're doing, too – no time for interruptions, I'm sure.&quot; He turns to leave, as if all is settled.&quot;Not at all.&quot; Gustav waves his hand expansively, interrupting Fury's attempt to leave. &quot;Reconfiguring ze sampler arm is a matter of child's play, but it will be for nought if we do not have ze furs.&nbsp; Archie and I will accompany you on zis important mission.&quot;&quot;Oh.&quot; Fury manages a rather forced-looking grin, &quot;Great.&quot;So it is that the four space adventurers – and S'Ondra's duplicate – make ready to set out for the neighbouring tribe.&quot;Know way good.&quot; Their guide informs them, from her position on Fury's arm (the real S'Ondra scowls, but says nothing). &quot;This old tribe.&quot;&quot;Old tribe?&quot; Gustav is curious, &quot;Why leave old tribe?&nbsp; Why join new one?&quot; his machine burbles the translation as he speaks. &quot;Captured in fighting.&quot; Is the cheerful reply, &quot;Made warrior's bride.&quot; The girl waves her hand at a nearby Venusian male, whose scowl at Fury is eerily reminiscent of S'Ondra's.&quot;Barbaric.&quot; Gustav shakes his head, &quot;I am sure my wife would never stand for zis,&quot;&quot;Oh, I doubt they stand, old man.&nbsp; Probably drag them by the hair.&quot;The journey the old tribe of S'Ondra's savage counterpart takes about an hour, as the group picks their way through the dense Venusian underbrush, steering a wide birth around the enormous spines that project from most of the cactus-like plants.Eventually, they emerge into a rough clearing, which is dotted with several rudimentary huts, collected in a rather bedraggled-looking circle.&nbsp; The sudden appearance of these intruders sends the villagers into a spasm of activity: men rush for their spears, women fall wailing to the ground, and children dance excitedly from foot to foot.From all of the chaos emerges the village chief: an older man, his gaunt height exaggerated even further by the huge headdress he wears.&nbsp; Catching sight of S'Ondra, his eyes widen, just as the Princess herself recognises his face:&quot;Father!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Capellan, post: 1326696, member: 6294"] [b]"Blast Off!" - Part 22[/b] It doesn't take long for the plan to hit a snag. "I can't believe they don't have enough furs for the bag!" Fury stands with legs astride, hands on hips, "They make their clothes from furs, for heaven's sake!" "You may not have noticed, but their clothes are rather small." "Oh, I've noticed." S'Ondra scowls, "In any case –" she continues, "- the chief says they have only enough for half of the bag. We will have to find the rest of the furs some other way." "Did you make sure he's telling the truth?" S'Ondra greets the question with a withering stare. Fury shrugs, "Just asking. So, did he say where we could find more furs?" "Oh, he had lots of ideas." S'Ondra rolls her eyes, "Mostly, they involved charging off to the nearest tribe, using our 'mighty sky god powers' to enslave them, and then stealing all they had." "Good man -" Fury catches a glimpse of S'Ondra's expression and smothers his words in a cough, "That is, I mean, Good Lord, what kind of savage would suggest that?" he ponders for a moment, "Maybe I could head out with my pistol and shoot a few of the local animals. How many would I need to kill to get enough furs?" "More than 'a few'." Is S'Ondra's estimation, "Listen, I've been talking to my duplicate." "Really? Did she say anything about me?" "[I]No[/I]. Now, try to be quiet and listen. She said that there is another tribe, only a few hours away from here –" "I thought you didn't want to attack another tribe?" "I don't want to attack them. I wand to [I]trade[/I] with them." "Oh." Fury considers this for a moment, then nods, "Sounds reasonable. I'll get the others." The Captain finds Gustav standing at the edge of the mould, watching as Archie slowly scrapes away the brown covering over the ship of the [I]Pathfinder[/I]. Every now and then, a small shudder of distaste runs through the robot's body. "I have found the hatch, Doctor." "Well done, Archie." Gustav nods in pleasure, "Now, open ze hatch –" [I]Reeeeaaaaark.[/I] There is a screech of tortured metal as the servomotors in the robot's arms go into action, the hatch peeling back and buckling as it is forced open. Fury goes pale. "Could you ask him not to do that?" "Zere is no alternative." Gustav shrugs apologetically, "Ze controls for ze hatch are within the ship, and we cannot reach zem." Archie wrenches again, tearing the hatch free. Crumpling the metal into a rough ball, he opens a panel in his chest and deposits the remains of the hatch inside. Then, he reaches into the gloomy opening in the side of the ship, pulling forth the silvery sampler arm. "You must bring it to full extension, Archie." Gustav calls, "Only zen should you detach it." He turns his attention to Fury again, "What is it you wished to discuss with me, Captain?" "We're going to need more furs." Fury winces as Archie begins to drag the sampler arm free from its housing, "S'Ondra and I are going to head over to the next tribe and try to purchase some. I was going to ask if you wanted to come, but you look very busy here. Very important work you're doing, too – no time for interruptions, I'm sure." He turns to leave, as if all is settled. "Not at all." Gustav waves his hand expansively, interrupting Fury's attempt to leave. "Reconfiguring ze sampler arm is a matter of child's play, but it will be for nought if we do not have ze furs. Archie and I will accompany you on zis important mission." "Oh." Fury manages a rather forced-looking grin, "Great." So it is that the four space adventurers – and S'Ondra's duplicate – make ready to set out for the neighbouring tribe. "Know way good." Their guide informs them, from her position on Fury's arm (the real S'Ondra scowls, but says nothing). "This old tribe." "Old tribe?" Gustav is curious, "Why leave old tribe? Why join new one?" his machine burbles the translation as he speaks. "Captured in fighting." Is the cheerful reply, "Made warrior's bride." The girl waves her hand at a nearby Venusian male, whose scowl at Fury is eerily reminiscent of S'Ondra's. "Barbaric." Gustav shakes his head, "I am sure my wife would never stand for zis," "Oh, I doubt they stand, old man. Probably drag them by the hair." The journey the old tribe of S'Ondra's savage counterpart takes about an hour, as the group picks their way through the dense Venusian underbrush, steering a wide birth around the enormous spines that project from most of the cactus-like plants. Eventually, they emerge into a rough clearing, which is dotted with several rudimentary huts, collected in a rather bedraggled-looking circle. The sudden appearance of these intruders sends the villagers into a spasm of activity: men rush for their spears, women fall wailing to the ground, and children dance excitedly from foot to foot. From all of the chaos emerges the village chief: an older man, his gaunt height exaggerated even further by the huge headdress he wears. Catching sight of S'Ondra, his eyes widen, just as the Princess herself recognises his face: "Father!" [/QUOTE]

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