Linus trotted over and made an initial assessment.

"This is a bit out of my league..." he said, trying to remember what the Navy manual said about gunshots.

"First, check airway, breathing, pulse... then see if bullet went through or is lodged, then stop bleeding..." he reminded himself as he worked.

OOC: 18:10, Today: Linus Spruance rolled 6 using 2d6+1. First aid roll... it does seem to be a bit beyond the poor bartender!

Ken stepped back and let Linus and Blake handle things with Liisha.

The man who was escorting Linus seriously considered lighting him up as he bolted. He felt that his own feelings, concerns, wishes, were being emotionally invalidated. Firearms were a great means of self-actualisation and empowerment, he felt, and he brought the weapon up, sighting in on Linus's back, finger tightening on his trigger.

"Pylory! Tell your man to hold his fire! He's just trying to help!" Messandi shouted, outraged and perhaps a little... fearful? "Besides, that's a friend of mine!"

Although for a moment he looked like he wanted to gun down both Blake and Linus with his ACR, Pylory called out, "hold your fire, damn it! You, grab the medical kit from the office, do it now! Dekkar, go help the other guy while you're at it."

One of the goons, a bearded dark-haired man named Dekkar, brought two medical kits and dropped one off by Liisha. They started first aid on her. She was injured but would pull through. Her armour had saved her from death and in fact would recover soon. Dekkar was obviously some kind of medic. He went over to where Lorain was tending to Thomas, and started medical treatment. "Your friend's lucky, he's lost some blood but it's mostly a flesh wound."

More goons arrived, there was now about fifty milling about the dig site. Pylory had them search and disarm the adventurers and bring the wounded to the fist aid trailer for better treatment. Blake and Linus were allowed inside the trailer where the primitive infirmary was located to keep working on Thomas while Liisha, Neva, Ken, and Drew were kept sitting outside back to the trailer, hands on heads.  Messandi took Lorain aside, and they had a heated discussion.

"No talking. I mean it." Pylory disappeared into the office, leaving a dozen men to guard the prisoners.

After several minutes, both Thomas and Liisha began to wake.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Wed 28 Nov 2012.

Blissfully unaware of the threat from the emotionally-immature gunsel behind him, Linus continued to assist in ministering to the wounded.

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 348):

Neva looked at her guards but didn't say anything.  Her hands were still on her head and that was what they wanted.  She didn't want to cause harm to the others in her group by resisting.  She tried not to show how worried she was about Thomas.  Hopefully he would be all right.  She was just getting used to him.

Ken moved next to Neva as he watched Lorain and her father speak.

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 350):

Thomas woke, and looked around without moving, because his body still hurt and he was weak.  What he saw were armed men, and his group.  His group didn't have guns the other guys did.  This was bad, but not as bad as it could have been.  Quite frankly, he was surprised that he was still alive after catching a burst from the machine gun.

He lay there and let the other guy patch him up without speaking.  Speech would take too much energy.

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 350):

Neva looked at ken and gave him a smile when he sat down.  Then she went back to watching.  Noticing that Thomas had finally woken up her smile got larger.  "Thomas is awake."

She didn't say more in case any of the giddy goons having the guns were jumpy.

"Not to worry, Thomas," said Linus. "You'll be up and about in no time... seems to have been a bit of confusion, though, if that's any comfort. These guys are with Lorain's dad... Not yet sorted out why they came in shooting. Busy with you, left the others to sort it out with the Professor."

The two air/rafts landed, while Dekkar and Linus worked on Liisha and Thomas. It seemed they would pull through.

Listening in disbelief, Dekkar quietly cautioned Linus, "hey man, if you really can't figure out what's going on here you're far too thick to survive, or else you're trying to play some kind of game and believe me that'll get you killed."

It didn't seem to be a mistake or confusion on the attacker's part. The group was kept under armed guard, and Lorain and her father were separated and he was led off on the path to the north. No questions were answered.

Standing in the doorway to the 1st Aid trailer Pylory addressed the captives both outside and inside. "Okay. We're going to move you to the main camp. Wounded go in one air/raft, the rest of you the other. If anyone makes trouble they're going to find out what it's like trying to fly without a grav-belt. I want no more talking. Get it? No talking. It's worth your life to believe I'm serious. Be cooperative and you'll make it out of this alive. We'll be taking you to where the others in your group are being held."

Linus raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 353):

Walker watched as the crew's medic slid the catheter into a vein in his arm and hung a bag of advanced blood expanders and 5 milligrams of pain reliever into the cath port on the IV line.  With his shirt off, there were a number of thin, old scars on his body, and a couple of keloids from where injuries didn't heal properly.

"Then I'm sorry I popped one off at them." he said to Linus' statement.  "The door gunner scared the hell out of me."

As the pain relievers flowed into his vein, he stiffened slightly.  "There's the burn.  OK.  Ah."  His eyes squeezed closed and he frowned, firmly.  A moment later his face relaxed, "I understand why people get addicted to these things."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:47, Sun 02 Dec 2012.

In reply to Thomas Walker (msg # 356):



Looking around, Dekkar smiled a little nervously. "Well, don't. Our supply chain is a little long out here. Lucky you're friends of the Professor, you're not the first tomb raiders that come through here but you'll be the first that aren't all feeding the Aiyankra when it was all over."

He shut up when Pylory came to the door.

In reply to GM (msg # 354):

Taciturn as usual, Liisha just lay back and let Linus work on her.

"Thanks. I can't really figure out what's going on here, either. Shit, here comes the big guy. Pylory? Yeah, think that's his name."

She kept her mouth shut when Pylory came to the door to outline what was going to happen.

Ken nodded at the Pylory's speech.  He looked around at the others nearby and made eye contact.  "You'll have no trouble with us, none at all."

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 359):

Efficiently, the party was loaded into the air/rafts. This included Messandi, who obviously was under guard like they were. They were still in the ruins of the city. As they flew over it was obvious that there were many other smaller dig sites around where artefacts had been ripped from the mounds and ground of the vanished Reynarik people.

A short flight later, they started to land in another, larger, base camp about a kilometre from the main dig site. There were several pre-fab buildings, the TL 10 version of Quonset huts.

Accompanied by several armed guards, Pylory shepherded them into a medium-sized storage hut and delivered a warning. "In here. Remember, there's armed guards outside. You're just thieves, and we're the law here."

In reply to GM (msg # 360):

Messandi waited until Pylory was gone.

"My God, I am so sorry. Lorain... Linus... This has all gone so terribly, terribly wrong."
This message was last updated by the player at 07:11, Thu 06 Dec 2012.

Ken makes sure that everyone is settled in and then strides over to stand next to Lorain.  "So what exactly is going on here Professor Messandi?  What kind of people have you gotten yourself mixed up with?  From what we've heard your backers are little better than pirates.  It does look like you've been busy.  Have you found anything useful?"

"Seems to be the other way around, actually," mused Linus. He watched everything intently, during the flight and when reaching the thieves' encampment.

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 362):

"Yes, father, please tell them what you told me."

Lorain was still looking very cross.

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 362):

"Yes, father, please tell them what you told me."

Lorain was still looking very cross.

Somewhat alarmed, Messandi shushed Linus as Pylory stalked away. "My friend! You are right, these men are thieves. They are also violent, and they've killed people! Other treasure hunters, I think."

He addressed Ken's questions. "Pirates, grave robbers, call them what you will they are organised. They've kept me prisoner here for a year. Roughly, I think."

Shaking his head in dismay, Messandi thought back.

"When I lost my position at the institute, I was foolishly desperate. The book brought in some money. Without Lorain there (offworld doing some graduate courses) for help and advice it was gone in six months as several proposed ventures to Mirayn evaporated or failed.

"Then Eneri Kalamanaru showed up. He offered to bankroll an expedition out of his pocket. I'd have personnel, supplies, all the support and equipment I would need to seek out and prove my theories here on Mirayn. Once I found the hoard of the Sky Raiders I was sure was here, I'd be vindicated! I'd run the expedition, he'd handle all administration, business matters like the disposal of any artefacts. How could I resist?

"So a crew was put together, logistics arranged. Kalamanaru certainly kept his end of the bargain. On the basis of my research I tracked down this city, Tlaynsilak, which I thought was the origin of the Sky Raiders. The current city, so the thinking went, was built by the Reynarik on the ruins of the earlier Sky Raider culture, then the later culture collapsed due to plague and climate change.

"It turns out... I was wrong. There's nothing here to suggest anything more than a late pre-industrial civilisation and technology. There are a scant few valuables (which have been picked clean) but most artefacts are of relatively low technology.

"By then, the damage was done. Deceived by my own expectations I'd sent glowing reports to Kalamanaru and he devoted additional resources. Delivered through a base on a nearby island in the lake where they have a ship landing pad set up. Pylory's in charge there, I think he even gets back to civilisation every once in a while.

"The Sky Raiders are not from here, there is no evidence of long-term presence. It breaks my heart to admit that. That said, I've seen and heard enough to come to the belief that Kalamanaru will be very unhappy indeed with finding out this was a waste of time. These men are all Kalamanaru's, they are not necessarily fanatics but they are rough and violent. I've been a virtual prisoner here for around a year now. I try and string them along with whatever I can think up, but Kalamanaru wants real progress or he'll terminate operations here. My usefulness will be at an end.

"And Kalamanaru is due back soon, he wants a progress report. If the news isn't solidly positive, we're going to "discuss the future". Which, coming from Pylory, sounds very bad."

Ken listens carefully, his expression growing more and more stony as the story continues.  He glances over at Lorain without expression and then stirs.  "It seems you have a tiger by the tail Doctor.  It sounds as if you as well as the rest of us may end up feeding the fish quite soon when the truth is out.  If we are still here when Kalamanaru arrives I'd not give a half credit coin for our chances."

He shakes his head;  "We need to get the hell out of here.  With those air rafts we'd be toast even if we can get our hover craft back.  We'll need to figure out a way to seize the grav vehicles and disable what we can't take." Ken turns to the elder Messandi; "How many men and air rafts do they have here?  What do they have on this base of theirs?"

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 366):

There wasn't much furniture in the large shed. Obviously, this was a very temporary gaol. The single metal door was locked, and the curved metal walls (like a Quonset hut) looked pretty solid.

Thomas and Liisha were feeling better, because although the camp's medical kits were far short of autodocs and didn't have medical fast drug, they were still pretty good.

They were interrupted by the door of the hut opening. Pylory and a couple guards pushed Talia, Kelso, and most of the human personnel of their expedition. A couple (including Kelso) were wounded, but not badly. Hamish Jael was missing.

Once the door closed, Talia embraced Lorain. "It was horrible! They attacked without warning. Hamish... he tried to get away in the scout hover and... and they blew him up!"

Kelso, looking haggard, sat down. "Aye, they used an RPG. Blew him out of the water. That's when I knew we had to give up. The Mirayns... they just shot them all. Never seen anything like it!"

Ken greeted the others as they joined them.  He stepped over to Kelso to get the full story from the experienced guide.  Ken's face darkened as he heard of the death of Hamish and even worse the slaughter of their native guides and bearers.  "That does it, we've got to get out of here.  This lot won't stop at killing us all in cold blood and I'm not going to wait around to let them put a bullet in the back of my skull."

He looked about.  "We need to cut through or get through the back walls of this place, get hold of an air raft or two and flee back to civilization before they can catch us.  What does everyone think?"