"Contact."

Rumbles the borg, over squad comm as his optics whirr and click inside his metal skull, focused on the distant village. He slows his jogging pace, turning to look over to 'The Boss', Drano. The slow drizzle of rain begins to patter against his metal hide like .. well.. rain on a drum. His voice-box hisses with static briefly while his systems realign, interrupting a few of his words.

"Got something piled up in the village. I thought they were corpses, but a few are still moving." His heavy lower jaw shifts back and forth, but can express nothing. "Seems Simvan, but resolution at this distance ain't the best. Thermal imaging'll crap out at this distance, so I can't confirm it ain't just some jackle burrowing in."

Drano passes on the finding to Nutari over the radio. At the same time he scans the village with his thermals, and regular optics.

PM

   Lotus had been circling the squad in the air, just a few hundred feet above their heads, until the rain began.  She directed the gryphon to come in for a landing and the creature swooped down, flaring her wings at the last second to slow her speed and land safely.  "I could probably go in for a little flyby and check things out over there."

"I don't see anything moving over there Lotus, but if you want to do a fly by go ahead." Drano kept switching between his thermals and regular optics. "If something fires on you don't engage. Fall back and hopefully I'll be able to see it."

   The Mystic Knight directs the gryphon back into the air, which it does like a cat leaping up to a high ledge.  Lotus and her mount climb higher before sweeping across to investigate whatever this 'pile' is.  When closer, Lotus circles and leans over to peer down upon the subject.  She'll descend lower to get a better view if necessary.

Dusk kept his silence as the woman who'd dodged his question volunteered her own hide to go test the traps he'd also mentioned.  Which was comment enough on summoners, he supposed.  He did, however, guide his mount a little to the side of the group, reasoning that if they did draw an attack it would be best not to cluster.  In a foreign tongue he told no one obvious to "Spiral out in patrol.  Report if you find anyone else.  Then we can play."  His familiar certainly didn't go anywhere; it just started climbing a tree.

PM

Lotus checks in over the radio "I don't see or sense anything here... these bodies are dead... they have been for some time..."

Lotus remains on her gryphon about 40 feet above the pile of dead simvan.

Lotus chimes back in over the radio "You sure you saw something moving in this pile? If you're sure I will move a couple around... but I would rather not..."

PMs

"If there is something moving under that pile, perhaps Lotus should not be the one to stick her face in the flames...? At least not alone anyway... it would be a shame to fuck it up, although then her face would match that mans-body she has..."

"Lotus search or sense the bodies at your own discretion.”

"Fuck it" she replies, before landing her gryphon next to the pile. With one hand on the hilt of her sword, she rests her foot on one of the lower bodies and shoves the pile. The body crumples away, and a few others roll down from up top.

She calls back "There is something in here... a machine of some kind..."

"Copy that Lotus, back off and get clear." Drano took aim with his boom gun, ready to whatever the fuck it was away.

Suddenly Dusk remembered how this planet's fabled Glitter Boys' weapons were called and why.  He reigned his riding beast off a little further to the side, took another disbelieving look from his mount to the reinforcements' squad leader and muttered "Fuck it", then spurred the animal to flee the squad at a quick trot.  The alien hound followed and the trio didn't stop for a good hundred meters.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Mon 16 July 2012.

Lotus backed away with Drano's warning, but only 10 feet or so. She trusted the sometimes-angry, but effective and mildly disgraced Tolkeen officer (non-commisioned) to maintian his famous marksmanship ability...

The machine did not move, or jump out. Nothing happened at all.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:17, Thu 26 July 2012.

"You need not worry Dusk, these GB's have been fitted with techno-wizard enhancements. These ones do not make a sound, unless you are trying to clear the blast radius from some incoming missile strike...? If so, please share the info..."

Dusk snorted and slowly trotted his 'runner back towards the group.  Only a little ways, just close enough not to have to shout.  He hissed, "No'.  But thaht's not a bad idea."

"Not. Yet." he growled to something else.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:11, Mon 06 Aug 2012.

Drano held his fire. There was no reason to waste ammo. "Ok looks liek it isn't a threat. Lotus you think you can move the machine?"

Lotus does not respond over the radio, but casts a few spells before approaching the machine again. She pushes a few of the dead bodies off the pile, and they roll down to reveal a strange looking machine...

"This is a camera sir. Automated I think, on treads. Looks like it records in 360 degrees, and would seem the Coalition has been recording this area for some time. There is no doubt, somewhere nearby, there is someone looking back at us from a computer screen...."

"Smash the lens and take the camera. Maybe we cna get some useful intel from it."

"This thing is huge... maybe one of Mephisto's demons can handle this..."

Mephisto instantly orders Deumos to head over and grab the camera. The beast does so, without speaking.

The squad is clear to continue moving along, leaving the ghost town behind, an hour passes by without anything of interest. The group still continuing along the path Dusk has provided, which has currently lead the squad through grassy hills, with the odd tree scattered about. A nice area, considering most of the scenery so far has been destroyed by the war.