I don't know Peter.  Perhaps a tracker of some sort?  Something to keep in mind.

Jane straightened her back more as if that help her not look back and followed the others.

 Rowan looks up from where she was checking Trickster over.
"Do you want the long term load of the MG Jane"?

Jane turned to Rowan and hesitated only slightly before nodding.  "Thanks Rowan.  It's appreciated."  She went over to Rowan and Trickster and gave them a smile as she took the load.  "It still seems weird but then what isn't these days right?"

Whether Jane was talking about being tracked or losing baby and the technical or both was hard to say.

Maura hands over the MG and Ammo cans.
2Weird that's one way of putting it Jane."
"Face forward and keep going I guess."
"Fate will deal the cards"

As Jane took the gifts, she nodded.  "Keep going indeed."

In reply to Smoker Nix (msg # 6):

The truck was a twisted, rusty wreck that had been there for years, perhaps a decade. Since Judgement Day, or before!

Even f it was fixable, it would take time to repair, time they didn't have. They were out of sight of the Sky Raider 1 but they could still hear the Raptors as they harassed the stricked airship with minigun fire. Although they had every hope the decoy would work it was clear that one Raptor at least was beginning to scour the surrounding area, and the others would probably follow.

Seeing the ruined truck wreckage gave Peter a twinge and made him wince slightly. He let out a soft sigh and shook his head before continuing to trudge forward.

Smoker shook his head at the state of the wrecks, and joined the others ready to move out.

Rowan moves close to their charge and stays at his side slightly to the front

In reply to Rowan Dawson (msg # 16):

The Templar master was in poor shape. In order to keep him going, Rowan needed to support Simon, along with Winnie. SMoker selected the culvert under the Interstate as the best place to hide from an air unit using thermal. They climbed into the ravine with some difficulty, down to the rushing mountain stream. The sounds of battle faded as they entered the echoing metal channel.

Soon enough, they heard a whining sound as a Raptor slowly cruised overhead, following the Interstate north. Searchlinghts stabbed down, lingering on the roadside wrecks and abandoned farms.


This message was last edited by the GM at 08:47, Sat 07 Dec 2013.

Rowan will use her medical skills to treat the Simon while they hide

Smoker huddled down, having found the scramble down difficult - he's better on the flat than on rough surfaces. He peered out at the Raptor, tracking its movements.

Peter followed along and hid with the others to avoid the Raptor's search. He sat in stony silence as they waited.

Jane kept an eye out with the others and when they found a good place to hide, followed.  She positioned herself next to Peter.  She didn't say anything to him because she had said it before and they pretty much understood each other by now.  She gave him a small hip bump as she settled into her position, a small sign that she understood what he had given up but also a reminder that she was still there with him and would go through this with him.

The air H-K drone passed overhead. Backscatter from a searchlight lit up the narrow culvert passage for an instant, then it was dark. They still had a couple hours before daylight and the stay in the culvert left them cold, wet and borderline hypothermic.

Despite Rowan's best efforts, Simon slipped into unconsciousness. His pulse became weak and fluttery, and Rowan feared he would die if moved far. As it was turning light out, they were able to find a ruined farmhouse a half mile distant and hole up for the day. Smoker was able to build a smokeless fire in the still-dry basement, knowing that the thermal plume would be difficult to detect. That day, they saw one Raptor pass by, going from east to west over the mountains.

In reply to The Marshall (msg # 22):

"By my estimate we are 75 miles from Junkyard. We might get picked up by a patrol before then. But we also set up rally points along the route of travel where we would be met if we needed to travel by ground. We're about 25 miles from the closest one, if we have to carry Simon we can make it there in one day's travel, 2 at most."

He sipped some tea that Smoker had brewed from herbs and leaves he gathered.

In reply to Fred Biletnikoff (msg # 23):

The other Templar (besides Trejo) offered, "we need to travel by night to avoid the Raptors and Throckmorton's Black Hats."

In reply to Winnie Franklin (msg # 24):

"Fine," growled Trejo. "We go at night. Get some rest. Set a watch."

During the 15 hours until sunset, they should set 7 2-hour (more or less) watches, 1 per person (Peter, Jane, Rowan, Smoker, Trejo, Winnie, Fred).

In reply to Trejo (msg # 25):

Jane nodded.  "We don't want to be around with the Black Hats, that's for sure.  I can take first watch.  Can't sleep right now anyway."

Peter watched blank-faced as Simon collapsed and then slipped into unconsciousness. After a long moment, he asked of Rowan. "Will he live?"

To Trejo, he gave a nod and half-shrug. Peter rarely slept much anyway.

"Do we have food or shall I go forage?" asked Smoker.

Rowan looks worried, "I do not know, I am still trying to figure out what is wrong with him."
As she carries on caring for Simon

Fred looked over at his friend, then back at Rowan.

"What we've been able to figure out is Simon's suffering some kind of neurological disorder. Plenty of chemical weapons were used in the war, biowarfare, too. That was an additional hope that in getting him to Junkyard, we could get some real medical attention for him."

Trejo dug into his pack. He pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag with some jerky in it. "I got about five days of rations there. Anyone else want to kick in what they got?"

After a pause, he looked over at Winnie. "Hey, you listening? I know you got a bunch of them Milrats you been saving. Fuckin' dig 'em out. Sharing is caring."

Keeper's Note: 5 oz. Jerky = 5 meals of food.

This message was last edited by the GM at 21:54, Sat 14 Dec 2013.

In reply to Trejo (msg # 31):

Winnie looked embarrassed (or maybe surprised?) for an instant, then hid it expertly.

"You got me. Here you go." She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out flour Milrat pouches. "There, each one is good for 3 days food, so should cover 12 days."