Anomalous Trip (Part II)

[Dragnoxz]

You can. Intel check.

[slicsinatra]

Intel 15.

[Dragnoxz]

You remember her face, though it’s slightly fuzzy the longer time goes on. You’d for sure recognize her if you see her.

[slicsinatra]

That’s good enough. How close is the group to our next point?

[Dragnoxz]

The number on the next waypoint says 5,367 Meters. It is fully dark out. It’s at times difficult to see the sky due to tree cover but for the most part the sky is visible through the trees. Clearings reveal a spectacular sky, with this worlds version of a milky way and a few distant galaxies that are obvious to the naked eye, and one appears four earth moons wide yet is very subtle, and the other is about half that size and even more subtle, but still visible.

2nd Lt. Hyla: “Hold.” Everyone stops. She shared her visual feed. “Large creature crossing our path of travel.” It passes by, then fades at a safe distance away. After about ten minutes- “All clear. It’s out of range.” The team continues. 4,728 Meters from waypoint.

[slicsinatra]

“Is everyone good to continue? It’s dark and we need to keep our bodies in check even though we are in a strange place.”

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Davis: “Adjust your chemicals if you are tired. We are suppose to be capable of fully functional combat for ten days. We might be reaching the first day.” When you look, you notice you’ve not adjusted your chemicals, and see why you are feeling fatigued. The last known adjustment was on the last world when your BAM slightly increased the caffeine setting. Mission time says 00:06:22:23 and counting. Your tiredness may be due to coming down from the caffeine since leaving. “It says you haven’t touched your chemical adjusters since we arrived. Dump in a dash of caffeine as an instant jump. Put it in the green and time it to taper down in half hour. Then have the adrenaline gradually increase to the green as the caffeine wears and have a protein and carb boost also balance out the adrenaline. You’ll be nice and active in 45 minutes.”

[slicsinatra]

“I still have to get used to some of this tech.” I laugh. “You all seem to have something for everything.” I adjust my chemical levels, I add a little extra carb and adrenaline to the drip. I have experience regulating adrenaline and it helps me be more aware and alert in a state of fight/flight considering I have learned to manage tunnel vision well. The extra carbs would be for my healing factor.

[Dragnoxz]

You are much more alert after dumping in the stimulants, and begin to remember things about training. The signing off for implant surgery, the going in for surgery, the class explaining how the implants work, and the importance of chemical regulation in the field. In the field alone, there would be alerts set to on when your chemicals are low, as in the last phase of training. Throughout these times after training, referencing training can be the difference of success and survivability. The training manual is scripted and only readable to you, as long as you are alive and have the implant with the data. It’s reachable at any time.

The party reaches the next river.

2nd Lt. Hyla: “This river is bigger.” When you see it, you notice it’s about twice as wide as the last. “Sending drone.” The other drone is still flying but needs to land to recharge. Once up, it sees lots of warm spots on the other side of the river spaced out in random locations.

Perception.

[slicsinatra]

Perception 12

[Dragnoxz]

Yo notice on one of the drones there are packs of dogs clustered together resting and moving about slowly. You also get a very bad feeling about that side of the river. You also notice some giants in the distant, and they are also sleeping. It’s not a safe side for sure.

[slicsinatra]

“Something’s not right over there Cap. Too many life forms and some of which I’ve already seen kill once. Unless you’re dead set on crossing I have a suggestion.”

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Davis: “Talk to me.”

[slicsinatra]

“Civilizations usually reside by water anyway. This is a pretty big river. Either way we decide to go, up or down stream, we are bound to run into a possible fishing village possibly within range of observation. Though it may not be in our original direction. Or at the very leave find a safer way to cross or man made bridge.”

[Dragnoxz]

Captain Davis: “Hyla, get the drone high, and scan everywhere and see if you can find illumination of a village. It’s clear enough. Follow the rivers, the forks and everything. Piggyback on mine.”

2nd Lt. Hyla: “On it.” After about 7 minutes, her drone is up high enough. She changes from FLIR to visible light and quickly spots a glow along a river at least ten miles away, but it’s on the other side of this river and to the north (left). It’s actually past two additional rivers, but they are narrow, and one looks dry and cut deep into the terrain and then runs into a bigger river that runs off into a Grand Canyon like area. The big river moving left to the right in a snaking pattern turns again to the right (south west) and snakes further. Another river across that river eventually connects to it, but there is another river that doesn’t connect that can be seen as Hyla switches from the normal vision to FLIR and back. That river seems to run off into the distant and curve away, toward the other side of the Grand Canyon looking area. There are other dots of illumination even further than than that but it’s very subtle. You also notice many large bodies of water and smaller lake like areas. To the left (north) there are gradual hills that lead to mountainous areas, but it fades with the distance. “Y’all seeing all this ?”