Ch. 5 Marlin Camp

[Tori]

Tori's ears flattened. Getting surrounded was never a good idea. Cats were used to being the apex predators, and the presence of magic men threatened that place on the food chain. Like most frightened felines, she slipped away as quietly as possible, after signaling Sam with a circular motion to show she would try to flank the encroaching humans.

Unlike a feral cat, Tori understood tactics. She did not run away blindly only to slink back when the coast seemed clear. The little cat had every intention of staying in the area and outflanking the humans with a devastating counterattack if they proved hostile. Outflanking a flanking force was tactics 101.

She sent a brief telepathic message to Janxi, "Seven Neko Army." That was feline code for what they had planned. She slinked back into the swamp, swimming and slinking and using all available cover to move around the human mages and their distinctive sounds, and set up a vantage to overlook the team and observe the potential enemy by silently scaling a tree. Tori also took care to stay downwind whenever possible, just in case they could smell. She readied her rifle to return fire if attacked or if the team got jumped.

Self: Camouflaged
Prowl: [dice=100] Needs 65
Climb [dice=100] Needs 98

Locate sound [dice=100] needs 82
Identify Sound [dice=100] needs 74

Detect ambush [dice=100] needs 50
Detect concealment [dice=100] needs 40
Detect Traps/mines [dice=100] needs 40

Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100] needs 54
Perception [dice=20][rand=1702207195777796208781303386914319906412604750067810110212123031603]

[Janxi]

Janxi had faded away already into the foliage of the swamp. A large black panther was no stranger to a stalk. When she heard Tori's order she answered back with one word.

"Copy."

Seven Neko Army was a plan developed by and for Shagcat teams. It was about using one rifle in five ways from ten positions. Two cats could convince a small force they were outnumbered and outclassed. Janxi continued her stalk, using swamp cover and avoiding the bad guys. The black panther slid along as easily as a little black housecat stalking a mouse.

Janxi eluded the encroaching humans and made her way to a vantage that gave her cover and a overlook of the team, training her scope on the nearest enemy. She stayed low, because she was heavy for a tree, but she kept her scope in a crossfire with Tori's. Seven Neko depended on POV.

Locate sound [dice=100]/82
Identify Sound [dice=100]/ 74


Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100] needs 54
Perception [dice=20]

Prowl [dice=100]/55
Tracking [dice=100]/55
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[sasqaricious]

The doctor lands slightly roughly but knows that whatever is happening is probably dangerous and therefore takes up the defensive position that Shep tried to put her into.

[dakota]

Shep groaned over the team comm," Good work Socrates. Janxi, Tori, whatever you furballs are up to, keep the rest of us in the loop. But hold fire until told to fire."

He looked at Autumn, "Keep your head down until I say so, kiddo. Richardson, keep working on our ride, but have that rail gun of yours handy in case we need it. Captain, how do you want to play it?"

[Tori]

Tori clicked the mic once just to acknowledge Shep's transmission but remained silent in her blind. Well camouflaged, she took a moment to study the enemy. She searched for leaders and the most powerful to be her first targets. She assessed their weapons and capability and tried to see just how good these creeps were, while listening to ensure nobody was getting the drop on her. Hopefully, the humans were just a wisely cautious welcoming committee, but if needed, she would light em up!

Self: Camouflaged
Intel: [dice=100] needs 46

Locate sound [dice=100] needs 82
Identify Sound [dice=100] needs 74

Detect ambush [dice=100] needs 50
Detect concealment [dice=100] needs 40
Detect Traps/mines [dice=100] needs 40

Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100] needs 54[rand=24428289941725712114178071977765420478025820938797757657819828621]

[Janxi]

Janxi got as comfortable as possible under her cover. She hated having her partner on the other side of a potential battle. Tori was usually at her side, spotting for her when she had to snipe. The Seven Neko plan called for them to be as far away from each other as possible to overwhelm the bad guys.

She began to count the humans approaching on the team. She counted the ones she could see first, then the ones she could hear. It was all about prioritizing targets, if they had malice aforethought for her team. She could meet that with plenty of malice of her own, and doubted they could match her for training, weapons and pure nastiness.

Without engaging her larynx, she mouthed and breathed the words to her prayer, just silently to herself. She sighted in on an enemy and waited for some hostile intent to release her inner demon.

"This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless.

I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than the enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. My rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, or the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit.

My rifle is living, even as I am living, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other.

Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is the Emperor's and there is no enemy but peace. Amen."

She clicked off the safety with a silent stroke of her thumb and selected single fire. She watched, listened and waited. Other than the fish-bots, this was her first potential battle with sentients. She wasn't nervous at all, just waiting, patiently for her first real kill. If they made their move, she would cut them down like she cut down that spider. No second thought, no doubt and utterly without remorse.

Locate sound [dice=100]/82
Identify Sound [dice=100]/ 74

Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100] needs 54
Perception [dice=20]

Prowl [dice=100]/55
Self: Camouflaged thanks to Tori! =^.^=
Tracking [dice=100]/55
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[Renekin Skywalker]

"I think they have a plan." Socrates said to Shep, noting their disappearence with little more than a click. "I sensed the humans from only one direction, though." His rifle, incidentally, pointed in that direction.

[Mierin]

Sam casually unslings her rifle as she says into the radio, "Soc, keep us informed of their position. Tori, Janx, take defensive positions. Keep your eyes open everyone until the threat has been confirmed." Sam scans their immediate area for signs of danger as she makes sure her rifle in within easy reach, if she needs it.

Perception [dice=20]
detect ambush [dice=100], pass
detect concealment [dice=100], pass[rand=74196602127823873876736087281807243650098715605444494175454302159]

[Renekin Skywalker]

"Of course." The dog boy replied, his helmet still open.

Socrates moved behind a tree for some cover so he could focus on detection.

Percetion: [dice=20]

Sense Psyhic and Magic Energy: 98% [dice=100]
Recognize Psychic Scent: 74% [dice=100]
Sense Supernatural beings: 98% [dice=100]
Tracking Supernatural beings by psychic scent: 98% [dice=100]
Superior Sense of Smell: 98% [dice=100]
Identify common/strong scents: 98% [dice=100]
Identify specific odours: 61% [dice=100]
Track by smell alone!: 49% [dice=100]
Intelligence: 47% [dice=100]
Wilderness Survival: 50% [dice=100]

He didn't, yet know what they were dealing with. But maybe this time, he could get a direction.[rand=61864837283459338448765008945552310779999265685678844693592508726]

[sasqaricious]

"Understood!" She replies to Shep and follows his orders to the letter and keeps her head down.

[dakota]

From Tori's vantage point, she couldn't see anyone yet, but she could hear people approaching. She could sense magic amongst them, but not overly powerful compared to whatever was further away. Training told her this was a flank team skirting her just out of view through the dense underbrush.


On the other side, Janxi was finishing her prayers as they were answered. She knew a group was also skirting her position, four or five strong. then she caught a flash through the undergrowth, but (thanks to low perc roll) it was by too fast to see what it was. Was definitely a metallic reflection though.



Between the cats, Socrates could sense the bulk of the approaching force and most of their magical presence was coming toward him and the rest of the squad behind him.. He could tell it was a large group. When he caught sight of of one of the front runners, he could tell it was a barbarian, but he wore an armored chestplate. A coalition deadboy armor chestplate painted blue.


At the boat, Sam knew the animals were tense, but from where she was, the only thing she could see was Richardson working on the boat and Shep and Autumn taking across from her.


Shep hushed Autumn, then spoke lowly," Keep it down, someone might hear you. and have your weapon ready, but let me do the shooting for now and stay down. We need you in one piece to put the rest of us back together if this goes to crap."

(Sam, Autumn and Richardson need perc checks)

[Tori]

"Stripes to Six," Tori breathed into the mic almost silently. Though her mic picked up her words, her helmet trapped them within the armour. "I've gotta small team of multiple foot mobiles to your (north, south, east or west, as appropriate) ingressin' on your position, X number of yards away (let X equal best guess of range to boat and team). Looks like a flank team lookin' for someone like me, or tryin' to cut off our escape route. Mild to moderate magic, small party but unknown number or composition. My OP (observation post) is in the neighborhood. Interrogative: Should I take them down as they pass?"

She waited ears flat her skull, abdomen prone to the ground. In stalks, she was trained to be as still and as small as possible. Her natural feline instincts to hunt, stalk and ambush from close range reinforced this tendency. She waited for an order, a target, or for a need to defend herself and her crew. Her breathing grew slow, calm and silent as she listened again for the approaching team and tried to learn more about them.

Self: Camouflaged
Intel: [dice=100] needs 46

Locate sound [dice=100] needs 82 (specifically number of targets)
Identify Sound [dice=100] needs 74 (specifically race of targets)

Detect ambush [dice=100] needs 50
Detect concealment [dice=100] needs 40
Detect Traps/mines [dice=100] needs 40

Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100]
Perception [dice=20][rand=16616950839521483362857188050344645156923450189608503696111463943]

[Renekin Skywalker]

"Large central group. Barbarians." Socrates says. "Armoured, heavy magic. Tori's on the money, and we do not have an easy advantage."

The dog boy crouched low, and readied to fire before adding. "Partial armour based on CS gear. Orders?"

Percetion: [dice=20]


Sense Psyhic and Magic Energy: 98% [dice=100]

Recognize Psychic Scent: 74% [dice=100]

Sense Supernatural beings: 98% [dice=100]

Tracking Supernatural beings by psychic scent: 98% [dice=100]

Superior Sense of Smell: 98% [dice=100]

Identify common/strong scents: 98% [dice=100]

Identify specific odours: 61% [dice=100]

Track by smell alone!: 49% [dice=100]

Intelligence: 47% [dice=100]

Wilderness Survival: 50% [dice=100][rand=767475520875914473021913373779012894574784920076538771614779521457]

[Janxi]

"Spots to Six," Janxi said nearly silently after Tori and Socrates spoke. She shared her general position from the boat. "Four or five footmobiles moving in from my position to you. They're between you and me. Something metallic, maybe armor or weapons. I ain't hearing no PA's in this bunch. Good to above average magic."

Janxi continued to scan. Spotting the metal gave her an idea. Metals absorbed heat quicker than plants and swamp water. Even though it was daylight, she switched to thermals.

Hearing Soc's report of one of the potential hostiles wearing Deadboy Issue pissed the hell out of her. True there was a surplus of dead deadboys' armor on the market after the war, but down here, it was likely taken by force.

"Interrogative Soc: New DBI or CA-1 or 2?" If it was new Deadboy issue, it could be from the objective. If it was old, it could have been floating in the swamp for three decades before indigenous people salvaged it.

She watched, she waited and she listened, now augmented by thermals as she searched the brush and tracked the enemy back toward the team's boat. The big cat stayed in a pounce-ready crouch, as small as she could be. She looked for tracks in the swamp, including muddy water, foot prints, rustling vegetation, and broken foliage. She hoped Six would give the word to light'em the fox up sooner than later. Everything about this encounter screamed "Enemy," at least so far.

Locate sound [dice=100]/82
Identify Sound [dice=100]/ 74

Detect psychic/magic energy [dice=100] needs 35
Sense supernatural beings [dice=100] needs 54
Perception [dice=20]

Self: Camouflaged thanks to Tori
Tracking [dice=100]/55


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[Dome]

Richardson puts the rail gun up on the deck of the boat in easy reach. He turns his attention to the engine and tries to figure out whats wrong. While he works, he tries to split his focus between the work on the engine, and the surrounding jungle knowing one is going to suffer but having no choice. He spends more time on the engine then paying attention to things around him.

[dice=100](21)Mechanical Engineer - 35%
[dice=20](1)Perception

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