Chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Jungle Boogie.
Stepping outside the pod, you find yourselves in the midst of a dense jungle. Thick meter high undergrowth closes in all about the escape pod, and tall, wide tree trunks support a green canopy of leaves hundreds of meters above. The sky is completely concealed from view, and only a wan, green light filters through to the forest floor. Behind you, a narrow swath of broken braches leading up to a small escape pod shaped hole in the canopy.
As you pull the survival gear and weapons from the crashed pod, the jungle remains unervingly quiet as the emergency beacon continues its strident call for help.
Ok. To sum up... You are in the midst of a dense jungle. Everyone is in good health, except for Sia
[-3 VP, currently] who is slightly worn from Forcing the blast door closed.
Kelko:
The rodian grabs a survival pack, along with the hunting rifle, and steps out of the pod to join his friends. "ECHA! This is more like it. Now do we wander off, or set up ambush for pirates when looking for us. That hole in treetops might be a dead giveaway of where we are."
Sia-Lan:
Thinking that it maybe useful in clearing out any foliage, and as a poor substitute for a light saber, Sia picks up a vibroblade and a survival pack, and will pick up the rear of the party as they move off
"Watch your step, we know very little about the flora and fauna of this place."
Arani:
Arani will grab the remaining survival pack, and hand it to Dorn. (What? You thought she was going to haul it around the jungle herself?) She'll also pick up one of the vibro-knives - she's not proficient, but it's better than nothing. She'll look over the flightsuits, and ask "Are we going to need these?"
Dorn:
"Not unless you are planning on climbing a tree and jumping. I think that pod has seen its last days in the air."
Dorn smiles as he steps out of the pod and is handed the survival pack.
"Hey, thanks Arani. You know, you've been very generous to me lately. First you share your seat, and now you give me the last survival pack. I didn't know you cared so much." Dorn winks at the young noble as he straps on the pack, and then glances around his new jungle surroundings.
"Well, one thing is sure. We've got a long walk ahead of us no matter which way we go. I say we get a move on and let Roworr lead the way. He knows this kind of environment. Hopefully he can keep us from getting eaten by the native flora and fauna."
Dorn suddenly slaps at his neck as he waits for the rest of the group to decide on a course of action. "Ow! Um...does anybody know if these survival packs have any bug spray?"
Dorn starts focusing on the Force as he waits, calming the bad feeling he is already getting about this little excursion into the woods...
Arani:
Arani turns a very bright shade of pink. "Just take the pack."
Jack:
As the group gathers outside the pod, you hear the Doppler-shifting whine of an ion engine flying by overhead above the forest canopy.
Gear Update. Aside from the clothes, or fur, on your backs you are currently carrying...
- Rorworr: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks, Sporting Blaster Rifle.
- Set: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks, Sporting Blaster Pistol.
- Sen-Udo: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks.
- Kelko: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks, Sporting Blaster Rifle.
- Sia-Lan: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks, Vibroblade.
- Arani: Vibrodagger.
- Dorn: Field Kit, Comlink, 2 Medpacks, Sporting Blaster Pistol.
So, what's the plan, guys?
Sia-Lan:
Hearing the engine noise, Sia-Lan whirls on the group. "C'mon people, we have NO time! Rorworr, pick a path and let's move!" Sia-Lan glances nervously about as if expecting something to go wrong.
Sen:
Sen nods his head in agreement, "Yes let us be away from here as quickly as we can"
If there are any of the weapons left he will grab one but he is not really worried about it. Sen will take a position towards to back of the group. Mostly he concentrates trying to get his force powers to work...
Sen will use Enhance Senses +8 to try and boost his senses
Jack:
Sen grabs the last vibroblade and vibrodagger from the weapons cabinet, before scrambling into the nearby underbrush with everyone else. The whine of the ion engine engine fades into the distance.
Sia-Lan:
Just inside the cover of the brush, Sia-Lan waits until Sen passes her by, then she falls into the rear keeping her eyes and ears open for trouble...
Kelko:
The rodian scrambles to gain some cover among the overgrowth, himself. Once the whinning of the Ion engine has left ear shot, Kelko will being to meticulasly check the ground for any type of tracks or markings.
Kelko will take 20 to search for tracks to follow or markings to determine if any wild life is near. Listen +6, Search +2, Spot +6, Survival +5, Track.
Jack:
As the group hastens into the concealment of the undergrowth and away from the clearing created by the crashed escape pod, Kelko scans the ground for signs of wildlife. Nothing could be seen or heard in the immediate area, with all of the fauna apparently frightened into hiding by the crash landing.
A few minutes search away from the landing site reveals an inconspicuous narrow dirt trail crossing your path. It heads off into the jungle forest in either direction, following a gradual slope down to the right, and a steeper uphill grade to the left. The trail still appears to be moist from an early morning rain, and a myriad of tracks are jumbled together following the trail in both directions, making it difficult to identify any of them.
Amidst the trail, two are most prominent and recent. The wide blunt-nailed footprints of some large four-footed beast most likely belong to some herbivorous herd animal. And the small splay-toed tracks seem to be the property of a meter-tall earth-bound bird.
Set:
Being far more use to the urban jungle of Coruscant, Set feels completely out of his element. In an increasingly hysterical tone he says, "Well, what do we do now, Crash-landed in some insect infested jungle, who knows how far from any sort of civilization or starport. Does anyone even have an idea what planet this is? Kelko? Rorworr? Recognize any fauna or flora? We could be lost here forever, or eaten, and no one would ever know what happened to us! What are we going to Do!”
Suddenly Set begins firing his blaster into the surrounding vegetation. After several shots, a great deal of noise and the sound of collapsing foliage, Set turns to the rest of the group.
“What? I thought I saw something move.” His weapon hand trembles slightly and he breathes in gasps. His blaster seems to be pointed in Arani’s general direction. Smoke is curling up and out of the barrel.
Jack:
A troupe of knee-high simioids flee, leaping off through the trees and hooting in alarm as the foliage that was their hiding place is reduced to a smoldering collection of twigs by Set's unrestrained volley of blaster fire. Higher up in the canopy, a flock of aviads take flight into the sky and cackle a loud warning which echoes off the forested slopes.
Arani:
"I know the feeling. Look, Set, I'm scared too. But we're all still here, and we have each other. We'll get through this. So how about a little of that fabled Jedi calm?"
Rorworr:
After Set fires his blaster, Rorworr turns around, looks at him and holds his finger upright in front of his lips. Speaking low in Shyrrlwook to Sia and Sen, ~Tell him if he does that again without my express permission that I will pull his head off and use it as a Booche Ball.~
Rorworr resumes point position at about 5 meters in front of the party.
Sia-Lan:
Sia-Lan sprints up from her position in the back of the party, doing a brief somewhat comical dance around a fleeing simioid, with an irritated expression on her face she slides on the organic debris and interposes herself between Set and Arani.
"Set, keep your head on, we're trying to remain unnoticed," she hisses. "Can we just keep moving please!"
A look of concentration passes across her face as she appears to concentrate upon the latch holding the energy pack in Set's blaster.
[Move Object +6]
Jack:
With a click, the power pack releases from and slides from the blaster pistol.
[-1 VP] Startled, Set fumbles a moment and catches it with his other hand before it lands on his foot.
Set:
Set drops the blaster and clip from his numb fingers and turns away from everyone, taking a few steps away. His fists clinch then unclinch, his shoulders rise then fall, as he struggles to gain focus using Jedi meditation techniques.
After a few moments he turns back to the group. Set's face is once again masked in an arrogant smirk. Pretending the last few moments never happened, "Well shall we continue are little hike? I for one would not like to sleep in the mud with a snoring wookiee for company if it can at all be helped."
Sia-Lan:
"No one wants to spend the night out here, and with the noise we've been making, the need for us to move quickly grows stronger by the second."
With a troubled look upon her face, Sia-Lan picks up the pistol and the energy cartridge, then falls back to the back of the party, trying to listen for sounds of pursuit.
Arani:
"I agree. Let's move out." Arani will take up a position as close to the middle of the pack as she can.
Dorn:
Dorn watches Set intently and looks vastly relieved when Set drops his blaster. Making a mental note to himself to talk to somebody about Set when they get back to Coruscant, Dorn shoulders his pack and follows the others into the jungle.
"What a day this is turning out to be..."
Sen:
Sen looks around a bit, and shakes his head sadly. Then he will move up, "Kelko, Rorworr, let get moving. You two take the lead as you are the best here. Quickly now..."
Rorworr:
Rorworr hand signals the group to wait there for a few moments while he scouts ahead. The party watches as the Wookiee glides effortlessly though the jungle undergrowth, going around the bend he turns and grins at them.
In game terms I'll be going down hill, the rest well... can a wookiee look inscrutable?
Kelko:
The rodian carefully tails the wookie, keeping his eyes and ears open for any unfriendly activity or sudden evidence of sentient travel in the growth, blaster rifle at the ready.
Hide +4, Listen +6, Search +2, Survival +5.
Jack:
Rorworr and Kelko press on downhill through the jungle. Moving swiftly along the muddy trail through the foliage. The others following them have a little trouble keeping up and start to fall behind. As you move along the trail, one by one, the frightened denizens of the jungle find their voices again. A chorus of hoots, chirps, buzzes and howls fill the distant background.
After a half-hour's march, the Wookiee and his Rodian companion step into a clearing on the edge of wide, slow-flowing brown river. The trail leads down to the river's edge, and continues into the forest on the opposite shore. Shortly, the rest of the group catches up.
Above the rushing of the river, you can hear a faint droning hum from somewhere far beyond other side of the river.