Re: Prologue: New Beginnings
OOC: This is exactly what the GM said we should not do with regards to our posts. However, Shik and Tchak both stated they wished to pull this to a close or move to a point that David rejoins. This is a very long one, good luck. :/
Adelie smiles and nods to the silence of the aliens, believing she understands why they are silent. Therefore, she goes silent herself. An hour later, a scream came from up ahead and Adelie rushes forward to find out what happened. She found the point man had stepped on a camouflaged trap and fallen to the bottom of a ten-foot pit of which the bottom lined with dozens of spikes all aimed upward. She looked down over the edge at the man resting at the bottom and checks him out visually to see if any limbs are at odd angles or if he landed on any of the spikes before calmly calling down “Zen, don’t move. We’ll lower someone to help you.” She points to the other guard and with the help of the others in the group lowers the second guard, who promptly sets to work on helping Zen. Adelie checks out the pit from a hunter’s perspective and notices the number of decaying bodies and skeletons left on the spikes at the bottom and realizing a number of body parts are missing from the bodies, she spits out the word “Poachers” with venom. After her examination, she helps bring Zen and the other guard back up to the surface. While Zen gets care for a broken wrist, she walks over to one of the lumber crew. After a quick discussion, he gives her a package from his pack that he handles with excess carefulness. She calls to the group, “Ok I’ll be taking point. Everyone ready to move out?” she looks at the two guards before starting out. She stops next to the pit for a minute for an unknown reason until she drops the package inside and start moving off in a slightly different direction than the point man was originally heading. Twenty-five minutes after she took point, there is a profound boom from behind the group.
With Adelie in the lead, the rest breaks seem to have disappeared. As the main sun dips behind the horizon, the lumber crew not used to hiking feels as if they have already marched a hundred kilometers and each step becomes more exhausting. A shimmering light up ahead of the crew looked like every other light they had walked through during this trip, only this time it takes more effort to move through this light. Once on the other side, they are assaulted by the piercing sounds of a modern lumber operation slamming into them with full force. An ear-splitting whistle echoes through the grove and silence descends. Adelie skirts the harvesting operation and heads towards a large Tent. A large man with cherry red hair pulled back in a ponytail stands in front of the tent. As the crew gets closer, they realize he is actually wearing a steel-grey suit in the middle a forest. He grins seeing the group arrive and steps towards them, “Ah, excellent. I trust that you had no problems getting here.” His slitted eyes rove over the party inspecting each of them. Some of the crew that are not used to the man actually stare back at him only to be mesmerized by those eyes to the point that they start to sway in tune with his movements. He smiled predatorily at those who started to sway before breaking eye contact and speaking to Adelie, “Madam Adelie, Welcome to our forestry operations. The mess tent is open to you and the crew. Of course, that is only after they have been logged into the personnel database.” He seems to have firebirds in his eyes when he realizes the huge mass that is Shikaalgargund.
“Thank you for personally welcoming me.” Adelie mentally dismisses Mister Williams’ insincere display of manners because she knows that he truly does not have any. She turns to the lumber crew that hiked in with the guards and Retinue, “After you step inside the tent, you will be processed and assigned to a work crew. Those who have been here before, please help out the jacks.”
Adelie turns back to Mister Williams when he starts talking to her again, “Madam, when I received of your trip here. I had one of the spare buildings prepared for you.” She accepts this and asks Williams which building before stepping passed beyond him and heading to that building. After seeing how large it was, she invited Shikaalgargund, Tchak’Ikhlul and the guards to join her in sharing the building for the night. She prepares her gear for the return trip before heading to the mess hall to be seen and to see how the lumberjacks are doing. She crashes into a heavy sleep before the planet’s midnight.
*** Next day ***
Adelie awakens at dawn but it seems that the lumberjacks had woken earlier because when the first rays of light enter the grove the sounds of the operation blast themselves against the windows. She moves down the sleeping area where her four companions fell asleep the night before and awakens those still asleep. Private Zen mumbled something about feet, which Adelie ignored and was secretly glad to have no knowledge of anything going on in the guard’s head.
An hour after getting up and putting food inside themselves, the retinue and guards were standing outside of the Tent they saw on arrival last night. Adelie stepped inside long enough to let the clerk know that they were going to set out for Wilmington, she laughed in a friendly manner when the clerk asked if she pass along a letter when she got back before agreeing. Stepping outside, she slipped the letter into her pack and said, “I’ll take point for the trip back. I will be setting a brisk pace assuming that each of you can handle yourselves.”
Adelie sets out at a slow pace that builds until the crew is running across the terrain. Shikaalgargund, of course, pretty much jogs the same speed as the fastest runner. After a quarter of the time when they were walking, they pass by the same pit that Private Zen decided to explore. The explosive she had dropped in the pit turned the spikes into shrapnel and pinned to a tree was the corpse of a man in camo gear. A quick search showed him to have all the tools needed to harvest different animal organs, Adelie made the assumption that she got the poacher so left him there. “Poacher examines his pit and finds a surprise.” As she starts building up speed so she can return to her running, she directs a comment towards David’s retinue “In answer to a question I’m assuming you were going ask. We allow free hunting on these lands. I mean a man has to eat a balanced diet and preventing a starving man from hunting the abundant game in this forest would be a crime in my grandfather’s opinion. However, certain animals are overhunted and some are valuable, they are on our no-hunt list. If you are found to be poaching, the sentence is ten years at the ore mine or some other place that prevents them access to any forest.”
Adelie actually manages to run nearly the whole trip back. As the crew reaches the edge of the forest, she slows and grins at her timepiece before announcing, “Still quicker than anyone else in the family.” Her grin disappears when five hoppers roar overhead towards the edge of the city where the commercial landing pads are. She stains her eyes staring at the Hopper before a light seems to dawn in her mind, “The garrison sent to Istakhr two years ago are returning after their disarmament. Bet David on one of them.”
She looks at the others before taking off running shouting over her shoulder, “Come on!” The Crew as it nears the town hears a low rumble of noise and do not slow down their run towards the landing pads. As they move through the town they are joined by others until they get close enough for the noise level raise from its beginnings as a low rumble to an ear-splitting noise. She turns down an alley from which she leads Shikaalgargund and the others into a building near the main street than onto its roof. The perfect vantage point to see what is going on. Down below lining Main Street are hundreds, possibly thousands all cheering as the first ramps of the hoppers lower to the ground.
Pulling out her binoculars, she watches first soldiers decked out in their dress uniforms begin to march down the ramps. The lieutenant of each platoon of the company followed by his Sergeant leads their platoon out of their respective hoppers. She sweeps the lieutenants looking for her brother only to see a woman she does not know leading his platoon. “Shikaalgargund, Who is that leading my brother’s platoon?” She seems nervous when he reports that it was a Sergeant named ‘Winters’. The platoons halt at the bottom of their ramps than Alpha starts up Main Street followed by Bravo with Echo lead by Lieutenant Winters and an unknown Sergeant pulling up the rear of the parade.
Stopping in front of the raised platform of James, the cheers die away long enough for James to give a speech about their bravery on their assignments and announcing that the rest of the day and tomorrow would be a Two-day holiday to celebrate the safe return of these men and women. During the speech, no one notices a man dressed in a standard military officer outfit exit from the hopper that once contained Echo platoon or where he disappears.
Adelie dismisses the two guards, “Two day holiday. Check with your Sergeants before you go out and celebrate.” The company continues their march and the crowd wait until they disappear towards the military compound before dispersing to enjoy their two-day holiday.
Adelie has been caught so much in the good mood that she has forgotten she did not see her brother in the parade. She takes a few steps towards the stairs and turns around to gleefully tell the retinue, “Once I get cleaned up, if you wish to join me for dinner at one of the Eateries around the town. I would be quite honored.”
David walks onto the roof and hearing Adelie’s offer says, “Make it Shannon’s and I’ll take you up on offer.”
Adelie actually squeals as she turns and runs into David’s arms, giving him a huge hug. David respectfully greets Shikaalgargund and Tchak’Ikhlul with what little breath he has left. Adelie finally at his urging for breath releases her brother and announces, “I have to go tell Mom that you’re here and are alive. James and Marcelle totally won’t believe it!” She disappears down the stairs before he can even call after her.
David allows his lungs to regain their normal shape before he says, “Sorry about disappearing there, when Command orders you to report. There isn’t any option to say no.” He motions for them to join him for a walk and once they are out on the street he heads in the direction of their rooms at the local Inn. He seems uncomfortable in his uniform which is a sharp contrast to how comfortable he was when he arrived and when he was on Istakhr. It takes a moment for anyone to notice but the rank pins which he always kept shined unless in the field, the platoon unit patch and the House Juandaastas Guard insignia are all missing from his uniform. “Since you were with Adelie, I am assuming you met the whole family. I won’t ask what you thought of them but I am curious what your interest in now.”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Sun 02 Sept 2012.