Orvo agrees with Porter and goes to the chronocom, which he inspects before looking for more tracks or clues.

Every [20] or [25]steps, Desiraye will turn and check behind them as they move.  She sets herself in the last position while they're moving.

"I was thinking, when we found Appleburg to where it looks like the tracks are headed, maybe we can try to put it to a map and see where we are?  He may remember where he was being held at and it seems likely that the Sathar would be taking them to the same place.  Unless, they have multiple facilities here?"

Noting the contents of the footlocker so he can share the information, S'Krllk takes
• A personal electronic transmission device ("iPhone," if you will)
• an unmarked electronic access card to...somewhere
• A heavy 5 kg device labeled "Body Jump Box"
• 1 progit
• Two pairs of night goggles

He asks his master comp to identify the progit, and carries the "Body Jump Box" to the aircar before leaving it behind. As soon as Bartja arrives, S'Krllk will point out the "Body Jump Box" as the two of them prepare to head to the crash site.

Bartja jumps up from the seat he was in, sipping a beverage he'd taken from the ships supplies marked "XX".

"Hammer is much more difficult than anything I've worked with before.  I'm ready to take a break from geeking and get back out there in that toxic environment" he jokes with S'Krllk as he guzzles the last of his malt beverage.

He grabs his equipment, toolkits, and breather.  He also takes a toxy-rad gauge, two freeze field generators, the torch, and the bivouac units from the supplies - then directs the maintenance robot to carry their supplies to the aircar.   "Always need a mule around as an extra target" he says to S'Krllk as he climbs into the packed aircar, taking "shotgun".

"Think we should have brought the rafts?"

"I'm still trying to decide what we're doing. It's either rescuing the rescuers or gathering all the potential victims to one convenient spot."
As the aircar begins to move, S'Krllk reminds Bartja, "the irony here, of course, is that our more combative allies, searching through the flora, are probably less likely to meet the Sathar than we are, because the Sather will be searching for the crash site we're rushing to."

Half of Bartja's face frowns as he considers S'Krllk's insight and ponders the Body Jump Box. Before taking off on the rescue mission, he orders the maintenance robot to remain with the ship.  "We're likely to need the passenger space" he reasons.

Using the communicators with the breather as they zip through the toxic atmosphere, he opens a channel to the Alpha team as well.

"We haven't seen any other aircars on the planet.  From what Appleburg has told us and what we've seen out there, the Sathar seem to be limited to ground travel.  Perhaps if we get to the crash site quickly enough, we can pick up the survivors and beat feet back to the Moraes before the Sathar close in.  I'm bringing freeze fields in case there are more casualties than we have space to carry.

You are making me wish I'd brought a Heavy Laser now - or maybe taken some time to mount one to the aircar with an Attack/Defense progit controller.  No reason we couldn't have automated some of our better equipment if we'd had more time.

I'm also wondering if we should try this Jump Box on Hammer or wait until we've assessed this new ships crash site.  Think it would work on a Mechanon?  I'm not making much progress uploading him to the ship."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Fri 25 Sept 2020.

Porter radioed back to Bartja,

"Understood.  Hopefully we will be able to accomplish this rescue quickly and meet you back there.  Let us know if you run into problems."

From a distance, both groups watch the smoking ship streak down from the skies, trying to mark the approximate location where it might crash down. Then you are shocked to see something streak from the ground at the ship, hitting it. A ground to air missile. Smoke streams from the ship as it goes from a controlled descent to a spiraling crash. You can't see the actual crash beyond the trees and the distance, but there is no further communication.

You don't know if there are any survivors or not, but one thing you can guess is that taking an aircar over there might be a little dangerous. (You do have an explorer as an alternative, or you can take your chances with the aircar.)

Meanwhile, Orvo inspects the chronocom. It is a standard equipment chronocom. There are more footsteps stamped hard in the ground and a trail like someone dragging their feet that goes about 10 feet to the southeast before stopping in the brush.

Although Desi can't be sure, the footprints and "trail" do appear to lead to the same general direction (east southeast) from where Appleburg came.

At the Moraes, S'krllk and Bartja figure out that the progit is a Comp-Link progit and that one of the implants is most likely a Brain-Link implant. See here: https://starfrontiers.fandom.com/wiki/Progits

Dr. Appleburg confirms this, and you recall that he is quite expert at taking out and putting in implants, so he could do the job if given 2 to 3 hours to do so.

This message was last edited by the GM at 03:24, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

Porter radios the others,

"You might as well call that search off.  There is an enemy there, and we need to coordinate any efforts with more than just two.  We will continue our search, then regroup for efforts out there."

For visualization, here's a basic map of where the general locations of things are at:

OOC
Can you tell me where the gondola team is, roughly?

Just east of the crash site in the northwest.

Orvo will continue east and southeast looking for any more clues or discarded items.

The group of 4 will spread out, looking for clues.

Once the progits are recognized, Bartja turns to S'Krllk; "I've got some alien implants that keep me alive now.  That said, this would be very useful to me if my bodycomp is powerful enough to use it now.  I know that you have something also implanted, so if you wish to use it instead, I'm okay with that.  I'm not that great at computers now, but I think I could link it to other progits later."

As they settle into the aircar and witness the crash of Denton's ship, Bartja looks over at S'Krllk with no small measure of concern.

"Well buggy, do we risk a quick approach to that wreck in the aircar and maybe get shot down or make a slower approach in the explorer on the ground?  We're less likely to be seen, but also less likely to win the race to the site.

If you want my opinion, I say we race there at tree-top level.  That should keep the ground-to-air missiles from being able to target us and we should beat any ground force to the wreckage.  We'll have to be quick if we're going to get in and get out before the Sathar or whomever show up."

"We're real low on choice, here. If we follow the river as much as possible, staying below the tree line, we'll be moderately safe from being shot down, but have to face the stuff that's in this river."
"Not to mention that we might be on a quest to pick up debris."
S'Krllk gives as much information as he can to his bodycomp and asks the master comp to estimate the chances of personnel surviving the wreck.

Commenting on Captain Dentin's situation, Orvo says, "Since we know the Sathar have a site there now, we could actually sneak up and ambush the Sathar, take them by surprise while prepared.

That we could, but our current priority is the rescue.  Opportunity will rule, but let us remember the task.

At the ship, Bartja and S'krllk continue to discuss options.

NOTE: It's up to you how to deal with the equipment and implants. Don't forget that there is Terry's other footlocker with the digital locks that is also there and unopened.

Up north, the group is looking for clues. About 100 meters east of the last item, you find Dentin's UFP issued ID card sticking out of the bark of a tree.

NOTE: Keep in mind that you are following a breadcrumb trail taking you away from your transportation, and you still have all the dangers out here that you had before when trying to get back to the Moraes.

OOC: Noted.

IC
Porter will continue following the breadcrumbs.  He doesn't feel like leaving another person behind.  He can only hope the others follow suit, but he refuses to command them to.

Orvo wonders if the survey ship can be used to follow those on the ground or speed up the process. Are there any sensors to see a trail, infrared, etc.? The vehicle would be helpful rather than everyone on the ground.

Orvo notes that it was about a day's travel away to the location where they met Appleburg, plus whatever time he was wandering before that, so there may be some distance to cross and shortcuts should be explored.

"Here's an idea.  We send the maintenance bot with the gondola to our original crash site to backup our away team.  I can rig the hand-held remote to stay connected with it so we can see what's going on and make decisions for the bot.  Then we take the aircar to the new crash site, search for survivors, then meet up with the away team.

Have you cracked that last footlocker so we can see what else Terry was hiding?"

NOTE: The group who are searching for Captain Marlboro took the gondola, so it is up at the north part of the map. At the Moraes currently is the airship and explorer.

It takes 1 hour to go back and forth from the northern crash site to the Moraes.

Searching east-southeast, you find another ID card sticking out of a tree about 100 meters away. This one belongs to Engineer Innesto.

Porter will press on.  He has more hope in finding them alive, as they keep finding breadcrumbs.

You find the next clue about 100 meters east. This is a pocket tool with its blade stuck into the bark of a tree. The blade pierces a scrap of cloth.

On the cloth is written the following:

5Q4C 3A91 E569 04TM