Zelpuz links to Yuu's eyes. "Yes, take a look around."

Yuu scans around, giving himself and the Mespah a better view of the scene.

The shadowy jungle canopy above is washed over with magically enhanced vision as Zelpuz mentally links to Yuu's vision. With a quick survey of their immediate area at least two dozen of the simian-saurs are perched nervously in the branches. Their collective movements like a wave of nervous hopping interspersed with moments of dead calm. It is not a comforting sight and it would certainly take more than a couple fire blasts to get rid of them.

"I suggest we start rapidly firing into the trees and see if that scares them off, unless anyone has a better idea."

"There's a few larger ones, quite possibly Alpha males." Yuu points out their positions through the canopy. "If you target your gun fire around those individuals, maybe they'll scare off and bring the rest of the troop."

"I'll start firing blind but wild. Seri, start shooting into the canopy as well following Yuu's direction." Zelpuz says. "And if you have something flashy and loud, Yuu, go nuts."

Zelpuz's strafes across three of the creatures, striking a large one straight in the chest and knocking it off the branch. His second shot also connects and blast the neighboring creature back. The third shot goes high and wide as the recoil was too much to control versus such a small target. Seri's shot similarly blasts away in the darkness, quite a distance from an actual target. The creatures as a whole are now quite agitated with howls erupting from many and as a group they begin to chaotically jump around, moving from branch to branch.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:08, Thu 04 June 2020.

"If we give them another scare, I think we can scare them off" Zelpuz says. "How about a big blast, let's give it all we have, Yuu, is there any larger group? I'll aim at the big tree in the middle with a fire blast, everyone else target the animals around them."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:37, Wed 10 June 2020.

Yuu looks around a bit, and points, "Maybe that area? Seems like a bunch there."

Zelpuz takes a moment to aim, then launches a fire bolt towards a large branch about 20m away, upon which is perches 4 of the creatures. As the bolt streaks towards its target the large lizard monkey leaps back just before it explodes. A loud crack is heard as a miniature sun flares into existence for a moment, slamming into a dozen of the creatures. Yuu can see a four or five scorched corpses fall to the jungle floor, while others escape with singe marks. The display of destructive power immediately routes the large pack, with the creatures scattering back into the jungle at speed.

In addition to the terrified yelps and screams echoing back from the creatures a number of alarmed cries can be heard from the camp now.

Zelpuz was staring at the flash of light to get a better view of the animals. With the flash gone and the rustling of animals scurrying away, Zelpuz turns around to see what causes the screams from the other direction.

The "screams" from the other direction are obviously cries of alarm due to someone firing off a high explosive into the jungle very late at night. The explosion has woken the entire camp.

After making sure that the forest is not on fire, Zelpuz turns around: "Let's explain what happened and calm everyone down."
He walks towards the camp, arms spread out: "Nothing to see, just a herd of lizard animals that got too curious."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:32, Fri 12 June 2020.

Yuu stands watch a little while longer, as Zelpuz gives his quick debrief to the awakened members of the camp. He climbs from the wagon, and enters into the tree line where he saw some of the creatures fall.

Yuu's surveillance of the jungle confirms the creatures have fled, and after several minutes there is no sign of creatures returning.

Zepluz, Seri and Beran head back to the camp and explain the situation to everyone. The guides do relate that those creatures have been known to attack caravans, but it is very rare as such raids require large numbers. The creatures are normally quite territorial and typically never band together in numbers greater than 10. The guides admit it is a bit disconcerting that there were so many grouped together in this instance, and they'll have to make efforts to guard against that in the coming days.

With the threat removed the camp quickly goes back to bed, with the final watch deciding to start a bit earlier since they were already up. Zelpuz finds the charred remains of one of the creatures and takes it back to camp. The following morning only a few pieces of the burnt lizard-monkey corpses remain, the rest having been dragged off or consumed by other creatures.

The caravan spends a little extra time in the morning to check the equipment and ready the wagons ahead of the day's journey, allowing the sun more time to dry the road. Vanyra makes use of this with an initial reconnaissance of the path ahead, reporting that it appears dry enough. A little half-way through morning the expedition is rolling through the jungle once more.

Through the course of the day the the mountains draw ever closer and the flora is changing slightly with the increased elevation. By the end of day 3 they have made it to the base of the foothills. Progress will be a bit slower from here on but the climate should be somewhat more agreeable to travel, though also considerably more unpredictable. The wagons are brought up alongside a creek cutting across a flowered glade, approximately one hundred meters from the main road. The flowers, grasses and shrubbery range from knee to waist height, but otherwise the lines of sight are clear all around.

The expedition leaders, the two guides and the Freelancers meet to discuss the progress while camp is being setup. It will take about 3 more days of travel until they reach the target area, and the terrain will be undulating hills with ever-so-slight elevation climb. The target area is in wide valley flanked by a river on the north side; this river will be the guide trail and serve as the border of the search plan.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:03, Tue 16 June 2020.

As predicted the journey over the next 3 days is considerably slower going, with the caravan having to navigate increasingly broken trails and a number of switchbacks. During Vanyra's advanced scouting she was able to identify two areas where the path was completely blocked or washed away, giving the group time to plan an alternative route. And on three occasions found significant obstacles in the path that required concerted effort to remove.

About midway on the third day the caravan comes to a fork in the river along the trail they've been following. The guides state the trail is likely to disappear shortly after this, but navigating along one these feeder rivers may prove feasible. Both will ultimately lead the general target area, though would put the group in slightly different areas. It is decided that it would be best to reconnoiter the routes first, then make a call. In an effort to save time two parties will be formed to scout the way ahead.

Vanyra and one of the guides head off down the southern fork while Zelpuz and the other guide take the southeastern fork. Judging by the first few kilometres of terrain along each river it would appear that the southeastern path is the easier to traverse, but according to the maps the caravan would have to travel about an extra 30 kilometres to reach a suitable area for the base camp.

The recon shows the path heading directly south to be a bit steeper and variable than that following the southeast river. After some discussion it is decided to move along the river towards the southeast in spite of the longer travel distance. According to the maps it would seen the plateau in that direction would offer more potential for a base camp than the steep hillsides directly south of them.

The caravan makes decent progress through the remainder of the day, coming up about 25km from where they need to end. Camp is setup with the security scanners spaced far enough out to encompass the animals and the wagons. Over dinner it is decided to mount a recon mission first thing in the morning to discover a suitable location for the base camp before moving out. Vanyra, Zelpuz, Yuu and assistant guide volunteered, and as such the watch order was adjusted so each would be well rested come morning.

The night passed without event, a clear and cool evening that brought everyone a deep, restful sleep with the knowledge their travels would end soon and the real adventure would begin. The away team rises early with the first rays of dawn's light beginning to filter through the forest canopy. After a quick bite they head off along the river and after a couple hours it opens up into a broad mountain plateau, bracketed on the left (northwest) by a valley and ridges of ever-higher reaching mountains, and to the right a vast bowl-shaped valley. The plateau undulates with small hillocks across its width which stretches for many kilometres.

Vanyra makes a quick tree climb for a better vantage point, from on high her gaze tracks the course of the river towards it nearest point to the valley; a good 25km or so. The guide leaves a marker point on a nearby tree to mark their progress, and they set off once again. After a few hours of travel the group comes across a meadow expanding from the river on both sides for a couple hundred meters, a promising camp site if any. Vanyra and Zelpuz head off in west and south respectively, towards the bowl valley which is the target zone to ascertain the access paths. The meadow it turns out is a the crest of a ridge running up from the valley separating the one bowl into two shallower ones, and this ridge would offer a common access way to both sides while also giving a good vantage point. As a result the decision is made to setup camp at this location.

Yuu radios back to the caravan and Vanyra heads back to help guide them on the route. Yuu, Zelpuz and the guide set about conducting a more thorough investigation of the meadow. A number of hours later the caravan rolls in and disperses under the direction of the trio. Throughout the hours of aftereve the camp begins to take shape, with fixed tent structures, a latrine area, outdoor showers, storage shed, med tent, etc. being put up and stocked in order.

The following day is spent setting up the base camp. After consulting with the guides about the typical weather patterns this time of year and the possibility of flooding from the river the expedition sets up in the southwestern corner of the meadow. The land slopes gently down from the tree line on both sides, meeting in the middle that forms the ridge splitting the valley. If there is a heavy rainfall most of the water should flow down that channel and into the valley beyond.

Three small hillocks provide an elevated areas from which to construct simple watch and comms towers using some of the nearby trees. On each of the hills a 4m tall roofed-platform, big enough for two if they're cozy, provides a good vantage point for lookouts and a base to secure the communication and meteorological sensors. The tents are arranged in neat squares between the two outer towers and around the middle.

The Dr. Vaanhak and Dr. Ulaar have a basic search pattern in mind after consulting with the two Spacers, Dr. Rezam and Dr. Hyunzi, who brought orbital photos of the area. Now that they are on the ground and able to better survey the terrain they will need to refine that plan around the realities on the ground. The expedition has enough equipment for two field teams to be deployed, using a number of different sensor and scanning devices to look for artificial structures, energy sources and metals.

Zelpuz and Vanyra set off earlier the morning after their arrival at the base camp area, each with a pair of sensors to place along the east and west ridges. They plan an two-sweep overlap pattern with Zelpuz taking to the air and Vanyra staying to the ground and trees out to a distance of a few kilometers. They place their sensors just outside the camp area in such a way to detect movement coming up from the valley below.

Using their communicators the two are able to pick out 3 and 4 different routes down into the east and west sides of the valley respectively. The routes into the eastern valley are steeper and may require some work to make them safe. Once on the ground Vanyra identifies the routes are formed from a combination of rock or landslides and water pathways, resulting in a steep approach. The presence of trees does provide numerous anchor points for rope; it won't be easy or quick but she doesn't see another option. Zelpuz and Vanyra think this approach could be prepared in a day, placing high visibility markers along that path.

The west valley has three steeper, direct approaches and one wider and more gradual descent that appears to be a nearly dry stream or river bed. It would appear this is an overflow channel, likely from when the nearby river overflows or during spring run-off. From the air Zeluz follows it down to the bottom of the valley where it ends in a pond and swamp-like area, realizing this could be tough terrain to navigate he marks the best areas along the stream bed where they could break off and go around the swamp below.

Finally, on their reconnaissance of the southern ridge Zelpuz notices the shape of the ridge top appears unusually flat relative to the rock formation in general, and that the ridge slopes down but then raises about 30km away from the camp until it ends in a sheer cliff. Relaying the ridge shape to Vanyra she takes a closer look at the ground, noting a true qualitative difference between the middle versus the edges and the previous ridge lines on east and west. While covered in underbrush and growth she notices the center is flat, no rock formations or hilly undulations, and more importantly the trees are smaller and more sparse than the edges. The entire scene gives the impression that the foliage here is younger. After moving a couple kilometres in Vanyra confirms that this ridge is very easy to traverse, more like an overgrown path than a natural rocky ridge; something she will be sure to relay to the team at camp.

Once the two Freelancers are back in sight, Yuu makes his way over. Passing a quick salutation and an "all's good in sciencetown", he walks them to where he last saw Dr Salis for a debrief.

The expedition leads pull out a large map of surprisingly detailed quality, mentioning that it was a gift from their Spacer companions. This allows Zelpuz and Vanyra to clearly show and mark the areas they scouted as the most approachable routes into the valley. Furthermore, the information about the southern ridge line is most appreciated as such odd features are not visible on the map and provide a possible hint of ancient habitation in the area. From that they explain in the following day will be spent organizing the group into teams that will alternate daily expeditions beyond the base camp at first, and then depending on what is found those journeys may extend. While that is happening a small fleet of drones will be sent out to perform rudimentary scan, topographical, heat signature, etc., of the immediate area out to 25km into the valley. The drone data can then be compiled into a digital map where all the team's findings can be layered.

Given the initial recon data it is suggested that the first away team check out the ridge and it's flat area to determine if it was indeed caused by engineering or is a natural phenomenon.

While looking at the maps, Vanyra comments, "I have a strong feeling that the complex was underground, but had an exit atop a plateau surrounded by valleys."

After a brief pause, she adds, "They found something there, and abandoned it for some reason," before ceasing her commentary and waiting for people to continue discussing the away team plans.

Yuu listens tentatively, watching as the map gets marked up. He imagines military positions, plays out defensive and offensive positions in his head, gets bored and starts day dreaming about nether devices schematics and power coils. His mind snaps back as Vanyra offers her feedback, wondering how she could know, but... makes a lot of sense. He looks back at the map more cafefully, trying to see what she 'sees' through the folliage and terrain elevations.