Final Battle Prep Tally
They talk about a "calm before the storm," referring to that quiet time before all hell breaks loose. Marron certainly isn't calm in the days and hours before the arrival of the Blue Hand, but it does get quiet as the residents and their newfound allies set their mind to last-minute training and preparations.As Sir Blurre wraps up his final lesson in aggressive self-defense, Kim hands out newly-refurbished NEMA rifles to the trainees, who head to the mess hall for what could be their final communion with their families. Most smile, though, their confidence boosted by new knowledge, fully-charged sidearms and a sense that a plan is in place to protect them.
Orrin's communication strategy falls into place rapidly. Both the Marronites and the Simvan take to it easily, as both cultures already made use of a great deal of non-verbal communication. Some of the younger Simvan end up engaging with the Marronite youth in a new game, using the flags to send increasingly profane messages when their elders are engaged in more serious business.
Rill spends his days in meditation, casting his consciousness out into the desert as he tracks the raiders' advance. The vanguard heads straight toward Marron, moving at a steady pace that puts them a day out the town. That afternoon, a smaller group of about 50 breaks off and detours to the ley line. Once there, several move close to bask in the line's power, gathering it for the upcoming battle.
Two cloaked figures, one tall and graceful, the other squat and powerfully-built, dismount and approach the line, as well. The short one pulls something from beneath his robe and sets it on the ground. The brief glimpse Rill gets makes it appear like some sort of dark box, covered in shadows, then it splits opening, forming a gate at the ley line. A third figure steps through, robed and hooded, with a single, baleful red eye glowing from within its shroud. The first two figures kneel, rising when the third says something unintelligible. Nodding, he gestures, and rolling streams of shadows undulate out of the gate, gathering like an eager pack of dogs near the other troops. The third figure then recedes toward the gate, but not before looking directly at Rill's vantage. Nothing can be seen beneath the hood aside from that hellish glow, but Rill is sure it smiles ...
Up in the foothills near Angel Fire, Silver and Jack send the sand-sharks on toward Marron, not wanting to risk a bunch of hungry predators around the unknown quarry they're tracking.
The trail isn't hard to follow -- whoever walked away from that crash was moving unsteadily, badly wounded maybe, although the pair find no blood dripped or smeared along the way.
Fifteen minutes from the crash site, the trail ends at a shallow cave, not much more than a rabbit hole, by Jack's estimation, the sort of place you crawl into to stay warm at night, or out of sight of trackers during the day ... But Silver's sensors aren't picking up any movement, and only the faintest sound of breathing.
After a quick parlay, Jack draws the short straw and crawls in to take a look, then quickly calls for Silver to help haul the cave's occupant out in to the light. It's a human woman, her pale skin covered in strange tattoos, who looks like she's about two breaths from her last, despite no obvious signs of wounds or trauma.
A patch on the woman's ragged jacket has the name "Delta" on it, but calling her by that name or any other fails to wake her up. Positioning her on the back of Jack's cyber-horse in a way that seems to make her breathing a little easier, the pair beat feet back to Marron, hoping the woman will hold on long enough for Rill to have a look at her.
The Marronites and Simvan retreat to eat and talk with their families when darkness falls, leaving the COT, as well as Toto and Ulysses, to share a meal in the infirmary set up in what once was the old NEMA hangar. Silver and Jack radioed ahead to say they'd be back shortly, with someone in need of medical treatment, so Rill and Ulysses prep the triage area while the others put the final touches on dinner and discuss what is to come.
Now's a chance for some RP as well as any final preparations before battle is joined! I'll post more about the mystery woman when Jack and Silver post their arrival, and if you want to issue special orders for Toto and Ulysse go ahead and do that now, along with designating a battle leader.
