Caerlina breathes a very large sigh of relief as the nervous imperial corporal finally wanders off. Then she sets to the task of calming down the proles, expecially Yed and Sybilla who are still somewhat traumatized by their experiences in the tunnel. Yed is crucial to the very long trek ahead of them and he must be calm and level-headed if he is going to be of any use to them. She gets up and walks over to Yed and begins speaking to him in a calm, soothing voice, an ability that earned her the right to become an intendant. The conversation between Baron Insecki and the imperial officer is still going on. One of the imperial soldiers and both of the zho soldiers are keeping watch. The large imperial corporal and the imperial medic are sitting under a tree talking and have now been joined by the nervous imperial corporal.
It takes some time but she eventually gets Yed to the point where he is calmed down and even manages to provoke a smile. Then she goes over to Sybilla and begins talking to her.
PETER (OOC): Over the course of the next few weeks, Peter will offer to Insecki that if he thinks it would help, either he or Marko could talk to any or all of the Zhodani using telepathy. Understandably they might be bothered by us being Imperial. But they might be comforted by telepathic contact. He'd leave it to Insecki's judgement as to whether it would be a net plus or not. There would also be the possibility of Marko creating a mind link to include Caerlina (Insecki's abilities, I presume, make it impossible to include him) and one or more of the civilians so that she could comfort them in a way that might be more effective.
INSECKI: "In general, proles welcome mental contact in much the same way that they welcome dental surgery. Sorry if I seem flippant but the comparison is apt. They would not welcome such contact and it might be best if they did not even know that you were mentalists. A mind link for the purposes of communication on the other hand could be quite useful in emergency situations. My abilities would not preclude my being part of the link if you wish to include me."
PETER (OOC): For what it's worth, Peter will also use his illusion powers to help entertain the children (and maybe some of the adults). I'm assuming with Oratory (14-) and Acting (14-) Peter's a pretty good storyteller. So in the evenings he'll tell the kids stories and use his illusions to illustrate them. And if others have stories to tell (I'll bet Insecki's pretty good too), Peter can illustrate those as well.
GM: There is a little initial fear when you first display the abilities but you are able to overcome their fears and turn it into a standard form of entertainment.
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With agreement reached about what to do next, Lieutenant Sterling and Captain Insecki put the plan into motion. A suitable location is picked to use as a staging area. There Rock hollows out a large cave under the ground. At this point the group is still too close to Perelane to consider foraging for food so rations and other foods that were found in the last few days are used.
Targets are picked to send a small team to gather additional stores and items that might be of assistance. The zho had brought with them much of what they would need for the trip. Also with them was Yed (the other civilian man) who is extremely good at hunting and finding food and surviving in the wilderness though he is not particularly bright or strong-willed.
It takes a couple of weeks to recover the stores that the original team (led by Sarge) had placed in the mountains and hills to the north of the city. Recovering them is managed by sending a small team consisting of Shooter, Rock and Mack to retrieve them. Some targets nearer the city are ultimately given up as too risky for what little benefit they might add.
PETER (OOC): I assume we also get what we'd gathered at our cache in the city. Our astrogation and piloting trainers might be important - as will Mack's MREs. :-) Also, any chance of getting Peter a handheld computer of his own from the various places they scavenge? Nothing with advanced capabilities like Insecki has - just something to keep notes. Even in a small group like this there's a lot of "paperwork" to keep track of (supplies, navigation data, weather observations, terrain observations, etc.) Having a handheld would help him with his "officer" duties.
GM: You already have your training manuals that you scavenged from the starport after the battle. If you plan to spend points on a handheld computer then you will also find one (Captain Insecki's handheld computer/sensor/communicator cost 26 real points but you are free to design a lesser version if you don't have that many points to spend). A simple handheld computer with a clock (Absolute Time Sense), data storage capacity (Eidetic Memory) and calculation capabilities (Lightning Calculator) only costs 4 real points.
During this time, the imperial's skill with Zhdant improves (if you so choose). Caerlina also improves her skill with Imperial (level 1 to level 2). Here is a breakdown of the zho:
Provisional Baron/Captain Insecki - Zho noble. He is very calm and level-headed. He is very, very good with people skills and has a commanding presence. Leadership comes naturally to him and the zho all look up to him and respect him. He carries a small but very high tech handheld computer of imperial make. The computer is also a communications device capable of encryption, as well as a directional millimeter wave radar (radar with discriminatory) set.
Caerlina - Intendent - Cartographer of the Second. Caerlina is an intelligent young lady in her upper 20's with a soothing voice and great skill with maps. She has a computer device identical to the baron's. She is attractive and outgoing and generally upbeat. Captain Insecki obviously views her as his second in command of the zho. Any orders that she issues to the two soldiers are followed just as if the captain himself had issued them.
Private Sentice - A very skilled soldier but with little self-initiative. He follows the orders of Caerlina and the captain unquestioningly. He is the one who stood off Mack in the tunnel.
Private Caplix - A good soldier and also with little self-initiative. He was wounded in the battle with the Maginites but, thanks to Erict, is now fully recovered.
Yed - The other male in civilian clothes (besides the captain). He is dull-witted and weak-willed but if the subject of hunting or foraging or outdoor survival comes up, he talks animatedly and with great excitement. He seems to know everything there is to know about surviving in the outdoors of Thengo. He was heavily traumatized by the episode in the tunnel but has recovered quite a bit. Nevertheless, the avoids Mack like the plague, instantly moving away if Mack starts coming anywhere near him.
Sybilla - She is (apparently) the oldest person in the group in her mid 50's. She is Caerlina's mother.
Xetera - A young woman in her low 20's. Mother of Sendel.
Ghelin - A woman in her upper 30's. Mother of Irli and Qoosh.
Barsi - A woman in her low 40's. Mother of Dealin.
Dealin - A 14 year old girl.
Qoosh - A 10 year old girl.
Irli - An 8 year old boy.
Sendel - A 2 year old boy.
MACK(OOC): How does a Zho 50-year old compare to one in the Empire? I think we talked about that at one point, but forget what the outcome was.
GM: A 50 year old imperial citizen of a technically advanced city would be about the equivalent of a 32 year old today. However the zho are not generally as technically advanced (except in the area of psionics) as the empire and so a 50 year zho would be about the equivalent of a 38 or 39 year old today. (The imperial conversion to get approximation to today is ((age - 20) / 2.5) + 20)
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Although you do not managed to find a grav sled, you do put together a couple of wheeled sleds that will work in the turnnels and on land alike. Much of the supplies are loaded on these while the rest is split into backpacks to be carried by each person. A better toddler pack is fashioned so that Sendel can more easily be carried.
MACK: Since a wheeled sledge will still leave tracks on the surface, Mack will suggest constructing it so that it's also two-man portable.
PETER (OOC): Excellent suggestion. We should try and do so for both wheeled sleds.
Two weeks later, the group is ready to go. After quite a bit of discussion, a route was picked over one of the two land bridges. A route under the ocean was deemed much too risky as there is only one person in the group that is comfortable in such an environment and, if anything went wrong, they could all be stranded. The land bridges are narrow by geographic standards but nevertheless, at least a hundred kilometers wide even at the narrowest point.
ERICT: Well that makes a difference ;)
The group sets out, heading southwest. They alternate between the surface and tunnels. This is so that if a burrower should find a tunnel, it won't lead it directly to the group.
GM: Let me know if anyone wants to interject. Otherwise I will continue the turn.
ERICT: After the truce negotiations are completed Erict will ask Lieutenant Sterling to ask Captain Insecki for permission to examine the Zho personnel in his capacity as team medic. He is looking only for injuries or symptoms of disease, nothing more, and considers it his duty as he's now responsible for the continued health of them all. If he's given permission he will speak to each of them in turn using his 'bedside manner' and try to put them at ease, then spend a moment using his mutant senses to examine them.
INSECKI: Captain Insecki has no objection and in fact welcomes your offer. He asks that you work with Caerlina in setting up the examinations.
ERICT (GM): Just give me an update on the condition of each of them, here's a PER roll for each using my Detect Living Things (discrim/analyze) sense, should let me know if there's any unusual disease, bacteriological or viral agents involved. If you need any more rolls let me know. If I am not given permission I will still examine them from a distance with my Spatial Awareness, though I realize there will be penalties involved :)
TECH: Detect roll for Captain Insecki (base 15- [rolled 8]).
TECH: Caerlina [rolled 11]
TECH: Private Sentice [rolled 14]
TECH: Private Caplix [rolled 10]
TECH: Yed [rolled 16]
TECH: Sybilla [rolled 7]
TECH: Xetera [rolled 6]
TECH: Ghelin [rolled 12]
TECH: Barsi [rolled 11]
TECH: Dealin [rolled 7]
TECH: Qoosh [rolled 7]
TECH: Irli [rolled 7]
TECH: Sendel [rolled 9]
GM: Physically all are in fairly good condition, medically speaking. The trek ahead of them, however, could be grueling and most are not up that kind of physical exertion yet. Erict realizes that the long trek will have to begin slowly, starting with no more than 7 or 8 kilometers a day with frequent breaks and slowly working up from there.
ERICT: "A side benefit of our slower pace initially is that it will give the hunters time to forage as we travel and hopefully supplement our food supplies. They could range far ahead of the group using your mind link to make sure not to be completely out of contact, make the 7-8 clicks in a quarter of the time we will take, and then spend the rest of the day foraging/hunting in the area while we catch up.
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PETER (OOC): Peter will offer the following suggestions about how the general arrangement of things should be. I don't want to bog down in the details, but I figured a small amount if structure wouldn't be out of place. Mind, these are only suggestions, and Peter is not trying to push anything down the Zhodani's throats. If Insecki has other ideas, we can talk it through.
SUGGESTIONS:
- The Imperial and Zhodane forces will remain under their own chains of command. However, they will be integrated in both operation and supply. Furthermore, both Insecki and Peter will provide orders that any requests from the other chain of command should honored where they do not violate military law.
- The military personnel will be split into three watches for a variety of purposes. While we will mostly be travelling all together and all watches will be active, this will allow for a fair distribution of work and rest when smaller groups are needed. It'll also make it easier for us to assign tasks, figure out who's awake when trouble hits, etc.
- Yed, Cal, and Shooter will form a foraging team. Shooter, in consultation with the others, will let Insecki and Peter know what accomodations need be made for foraging.
- Of Sybilla, Xetera, Ghelin, and Barsi one will be assigned the duties of quartermaster, keeping track of supplies and advising of any supply issues; another will be assigned the duties of cook; another will be assigned the duties of coordinating care for the children; and the fourth will be assigned to assist the other three as needed. Insecki would be best placed to decide who has the best temperment for which task. [I'm not trying to be sexist with these assignments. It's just that our only four adults who aren't tasked with protection or foraging are four women. I fully expect that all will assist in these duties. But these four will be in charge or monitoring the needs. Also, I expect that having a duty will help keep them out of depression. Rather than being supernumeraries, they'll feel part of the team. And we can't afford to lose the full efforts of anyone at this stage.]
- Erict be assigned duties of medic. he will give everyone a briefing in basic first aid and sanitation, and will offer more advanced first aid training as time permits for all interested.
- Caerlina and Peter will coordinate navigation, each double-checking the other's work. Again, to the extent that time permits, others should be given basic instruction in navigation.
- Everyone with the exception of the smaller children should be given training in firearms safety and operation.
- We should target some smaller settlements on the way for supplies. In particular vacation lodges, farms, and other out-of-the-way places are likely to be low on the Maginties' list of priorities.
INSECKI: The zho captain agrees with these proposals.
Proposed Watch Assignments -
First Watch:
Insecki
Sentice
Rock
Cal
Second Watch:
Peter
Caplix
Mack
Third Watch:
Caerlina
Shooter
Erict
INSECKI: The zho captain also agrees with the watch schedule.
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PETER (In private conversation with Insecki): "You'll understand my need to be somewhat close with certain information, but I think it's necessary to share with you our general capabilities. You'll learn them soon enough from observation. And I think it's better that you know them now so we can make plans intelligently. As you are no doubt aware, we're mostly taken from what our military calls a Gamma company. That's partly what kept us at liberty. In brief, here's what you can expect."
PETER: "I'm a telepath with the ability to project illusions. Some are directly to the mind; others manipulate light and sound directly. Shooter can create a protective field around himself. Erict can heal and teleport. Cal can turn himself invisible and has abnormally acute senses. Rock, as you've seen, can manipulate earth as well as see through it. He's also strong and tough. Mack can send indirect explosions much like artillery shells. He can also see through things and at a good distance with acuity. Marko is another telepath, though with a greater breadth of training than I. Among other things, he's trained to scan for minds at a distance. Of the group of us, only Marko and I seem to be subject to the Maginite's psychic bombs. And we believe that we've figured the trick of protecting ourselves from them. We'll know for certain the next time we're attacked by one."
INSECKI: The captain is impressed that Marko and Peter have managed to survive the Psychic Bombs and, in fact, has mental protections against them. "As I mentioned before, my own 'mental abilities' are my almost total immunity to harmful mental effects. I also evaluate very well in leadership and interactive models (TECH: VERY high PRE) which is were most of my skills lie." The captain also tells you about each of the other zho (see above) and their skills and abilities. You learn that Caerlina really does have abilities that earned her the promotion to intendent. She is smart but also good at strenghtening someone's resolve (TECH: Succor PRE).
PETER: "One thing we have learned from our recent encounter with the Maginites is that my illusions and Cal's invisibility fail to spoof their radar. I'd like to work with you to remedy that. You and Caerlina have handhelds that use microwave radar. I think I can modify my illusions to effect radar, buit it would be prudent to try before confronting the Maginites. I'm hoping that Cal will be able to account for the radar as well."
INSECKI: "Yes, we can use our Comp Units to help you achieve this as they closely mimic the millimeter wave detectors of the Maginites."
PETER (OOC): Peter will also give Insecki a general idea of individual talents in the squad - mechanical ability, electronic training, marksmanship, etc.
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ROCK: Rock will offer his weaponsmithing services to all those with weapons. He spends a good amount of his downtime cleaning and adjusting his heavy assault rifle. Rationing ammunition will also be important and Rock is happy to maintain that work. In many ways Rock is now the group's armorer.
SHOOTER: "If we can find some reloading equipment, I would like to work with you to make various types of rounds for my rifle. I've been saving the casings but we would need the reloading gear."
GM: Making any major modifications to weapons will require more advanced gear than you have with you right now. Don't dispair, however, as I have it on good authority that such weaponsmithing tools will be found in the near future. :)
ROCK: Rock will offer his weaponsmithing services to all those with weapons. He spends a good amount of his downtime cleaning and adjusting his heavy assault rifle. Rationing ammunition will also be important and Rock is happy to maintain that work. In many ways Rock is now the group's armorer.
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PETER (OOC): Over the course of the next few weeks, Peter will offer to Insecki that if he thinks it would help, either he or Marko could talk to any or all of the Zhodani using telepathy. Understandably they might be bothered by us being Imperial. But they might be comforted by telepathic contact. He'd leave it to Insecki's judgement as to whether it would be a net plus or not. There would also be the possibility of Marko creating a mind link to include Caerlina (Insecki's abilities, I presume, make it impossible to include him) and one or more of the civilians so that she could comfort them in a way that might be more effective.
INSECKI: "In general, proles welcome mental contact in much the same way that they welcome dental surgery. Sorry if I seem flippant but the comparison is apt. They would not welcome such contact and it might be best if they did not even know that you were mentalists. A mind link for the purposes of communication on the other hand could be quite useful in emergency situations. My abilities would not preclude my being part of the link if you wish to include me."
PETER (OOC): This is mostly Brian misunderstanding Zho society. From reading the source books I got the impression that proles actually felt comforted by the Thought Police (showing just how different Zho society is from Imperial society). And while they might not welcome metal contact, they look upon it with some comfort when they need it. I always figured it was more like taking antibiotics. It can be a bit of a pain and a hassle, and it's not something you want to do every day. But if you need it, you get some comfort from taking the pills, knowing that it's helping you get better. It's the knowledge that someone better trained than you (a doctor, a telepath, whatever) is there to take care of your problems.
PETER: Presumably with six months on Thengo and CuK: Zhodani Culture (13-), Peter would know this softball of an issue. If proles really are that shy of telepathy, Peter would never have made the offer.
GM: Yes, Peter would have been aware of it and thus, would not have brought it up.
PETER: If the Zho really are a bunch of elite thugs maintaining an iron grip on an oppressed minority through the use of their psionic abilities, well, then I'll have to adjust Peter's opinion a bit. I don't think it would have changed anything he's done up until now, though. It helps that both the (provisional) noble and intendant we're working with are people brought up from the ranks (as it were). So Steve, is that an accurate view of Zho society?
TECH: CuK: Zhodani Culture (13-) (with perhaps a few bonuses for such a softball of a question), [rolled 12]
GM: Yes, it's fairly accurate. In general, most proles on the highly develop core worlds of the consulate just see this as the natural order of things. The zho nobles are the leaders and that's they way it is. On the more peripherial worlds, like Zeycude, that still have native populations that have not been fully integrated into zho society, the zho nobles are viewed as elite thugs by the still fiercely independent peoples of those worlds. The zho means of bringing control to the fiercely independent peoples, however, is extremely subtle. The zho take their time to slowly integrate these peoples into their society, taking many, many years, and usually two to three generations to complete the transition.
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GM: You already have your training manuals that you scavenged from the starport after the battle. If you plan to spend points on a handheld computer then you will also find one (Captain Insecki's handheld computer/sensor/communicator cost 26 real points but you are free to design a lesser version if you don't have that many points to spend). A simple handheld computer with a clock (Absolute Time Sense), data storage capacity (Eidetic Memory) and calculation capabilities (Lightning Calculator) only costs 4 real points.
PETER (OOC): Any chance I could swap out some of my equipment pool for one?
GM: Yes, if you want to swap out some stuff in your equipment pool, feel free to do so. |