RB-1.1 Deep in the Jungle

[Technospawn]

Mexican Jungle
21 June 110 PA
Midday

The heat was oppressive. It had been hot when the team had left New Del Rio but now it was truly oppressive. The thick jungle had only grown thicker. The environmental controls of the ATV were pushed to their limit. The temperature in the ATV had been climbing steady for hours. Now it was pushing 100°F inside. Everyone knew if the environmental controls failed the inside would rapidly overtake the temperature outside and that was over 130°F. They were running low on fuel and with the thick canopy the solar cells were not working.

Density manifested an hour after noon. @Henry was following a overgrown trail when the trail suddenly ended at a cliff. To late he slammed on the brakes and the front tires slid over the cliff and the ATV dangled dangerously into space. Something must have jarred in the control panels because the vents start blowing very hot air into the cabin.

Everyone Rolls

Surviving the Heat - Roll Vigor -2 for extreme heat and -1 more for vigorous activity. EBA adds +4.

• Raise - no additional effect
• Success - no effect from heat
• Failure - take 1 fatigue
• Critical Failure - take 2 fatigue

Spotting the Snakes - Roll notices -2 (distracted). Several large snakes are descending out of the trees towards you.

• Raise - Spot them quick and get +1 to your action roll.
• Success - Spot them and get an action roll at no mods.
• Failure - Slow to spot them and get -1 to your action
• Critical Failure - Only spot them when they bite you. Take -2 to your action and get bumps and bruises. (1 fatigue)

Only roll on 1 of the tables below.

Fixing the ATV - ATV has 1 level of fatigue. Roll Repair or Electronics (whichever is lower)

• Raise - takes 30 minutes to fix the problem
• Success - takes 1 hour to fix the problem
• Failure - you will have to scrounge up 1d4 x 250 credits in parts.
• Critical Failure - Roll technical difficulties (1-3 glitch, 4-5 Serious Problem, 6 Severe Failure. Repairing a Glitch takes 1d6 × 5 minutes and a Repair roll at −1. A Serious Problem takes 1d6 hours, a Repair check at −2, and parts equal to 20% of the item’s cost. To repair a Severe Failure requires 1d6 days, a Repair check at −4, and parts equal to 40% of the item’s base cost.) These times and cost stack atop of the initial hour.

Fighting the Snakes - Roll fighting, shooting, or battle and apply all of the modifiers you rolled above.

• Raise - You have done your job well. Your sergeant notices and praise your combat prowess.
• Success - You are competent and escape with only bumps and bruises. (1 fatigue)
• Failure - You are too slow and weak. You live but take 1 wound
• Critical Failure - Your failure has shamed the squad. @Henry restricts you to half rations for the rest of the day. Take 1d4 wounds.

[Rex]

Vigor Roll: -2 Heat, +4 EBA d6!+2: [2]+2 = 4
Wild d6!+2: [3]+2 = 5 Heat had no effect.

Notice: -2 Distracted d6!+4: [2]+4 = 6
Wild: d6!+4: [5]+4 = 9 +1 to Action Roll

Shooting: +1 Notice Bonus d12!+1: [8]+1 = 9 , d6!+1: [6!, 3]+1 = 10

Rex sighed when the the Sergeant nearly sends them over the edge of a cliff. He gets out of the vehicle. As others start working on getting the ATV back to operating, Rex keeps an eye on their surroundings. His keen senses notice movement in the canopy above. Looking up he sees predatory snakes descending upon the ATV and the repair crew. With lightning speed his TK revolvers blaze in a volley of fury. As remnants of his targets cascade over the ATV and the crew, Rex says “If you drove as well as I shoot we would be whatever god forsaken place we are going, Compadres.” He holsters his guns, waiting until they can hit the road again.

[Lucky]

Resist the Heat

Vigor 1d10-2: [9]-2 = 7
Vigor WD 1d6-2: [2]-2 = 0
Result: No Penalty

Spot the Snakes

Notice 1d6: [2] = 2
Notice WD 1d6-2: [5]-2 = 3
Result: Slow to react, -1 to Combat Rolls

Fighting the Snakes

Fighting the Snakes 1d10+3: [10]+3 = 13 Forgot to explode Fighting die 1d10!: [4] = 4
Fighting the Snakes WD 1d6-1: [6]-1 = 5
Result: 17, almost certainly a Raise
Weapon Damage (AP 8) 1d12+1+2d10: [7]+1+[1, 1] = 10
WD Raise: 1d6!: [2] = 2
12 damage, total

It was hot. Humid. Sticky, stinky and generally miserable...for most of Lucky's companions. While it was warmer than he liked, he enjoyed how thick and hot the air was. It made prey lethargic, easier to catch. Still, it didn't stop his team from complaining and that irritated him, made him distracted while in camp.

Perhaps that's why he didn't notice the giant snakes descending from the trees into camp until the very last moment. When the Sergeant called out, he quickly leapt into the fray, his Vambraces humming as he attacked the snakes relentlessly, not stopping til they were all dead.

[Frida]

Surviving The Heat. -3 Scene, +4 EBA, net +1
Raise (8)
Vigor 1d8!+1: [1]+1 = 2
Wild Die 1d6!+1: [6!, 1]+1 = 8

Spotting The Snakes. -2 Distracted, +2 Optics Package, net 0
Success (5)
Notice 1d6!: [5] = 5
Wild Die 1d6!: [1] = 1

Fixing The ATV. Lower of Electronics and Repair. +2 Core Electronics Package
Raise (9)
Repair 1d10!+2: [7]+2 = 9
Wild Die 1d6!+2: [5]+2 = 7

The rapid back and forth shaking of the ATV as it plunged ahead through the uneven ground of the jungle made Frida long for the days when she had complained about Grimes robot running over several armadillo that just happened to be in the way across the salt flats to the north. As it was currently, every fallen log, hill, boulder and pit felt like they had been plowing through entire piles of the shelled desert creatures while making very little headway even with the vehicle expressly designed for that purpose. Everything had its limits however, and that unfortunately included decrepit ATVs that had been in long term storage in a desert bunker in the middle of nowhere with no maintenance to speak of once it had been abandoned.

The soft breathing sounds coming from Frida's air filters on the neck of her stark white EBA filled her ears as the system did what it could to blow the heat out of the suit. Something that could not be said for the ECC in the ATV that was clearly on its last legs, only providing life support in the most basic sense of the word, wherein it did just enough for them to not die. It was awkward sitting in ones sealed EBA for long periods of time like this, watching her troops through the blue filtered glass lens that worked as the armours face shield. Everyone was for the most part focusing on not dying of dehydration, which had been something Frida had been strict about for this leg of the journey. Frequent stops drink and perform EBA maintenance, even at the expense of gaining as much ground as possible. It seemed to have paid off however as none of them seemed to have suffered any ill effects in that regard.

Behind the heavy sealed armour, Frida assessed her new crew and compared them to their dossiers. They were certainly more... hyperactive than the last ones she had that was for sure. But then again having this sort of energy might make them more suited to the jungles than the calm and calculated bunch she had before when traversing the wastelands to the north.

As Henry slammed on the breaks and the ECC failed entirely, Frida simply waited a moment to see if they were all going to die from falling off of the cliff. When it appeared that they had just fallen short of that, she stood up and gave a look to the drivers compartment where Henry was composing himself at the split second reaction that had stopped them from going over entirely. "Handle it. I'll fix the ECC." The captain said curtly over the radio as she made her way surface side, the momentary instructions being what made her last to leave, as a blur of mutant chihuahua and a juicer rushed out ahead of her in search of action.

As the ATV was pulled back and Frida stood atop it once more, kneeling down as she worked out the filtration problem with the system, the sound of gun shots, laser blasts and of slashing vibro weapons from the others indicated that hostiles had approached, or rather had dropped upon them. Thankfully she had noticed one of the snakes that was about to fall upon her at the last second, scurrying back quickly mid repairs as it was shot into dust from the hatch down below by that very same Sergeant Major that had driven them here in the first place. Frida could hear him saying something witty at her down below, though she had quickly closed the hatch again to test out the results of her work.

The ECC sprang to life once more, allowing her a moment of relief in knowing they weren't all going to immediately die in the jungle moisture in the next few hours. Though the diagnostic check she performed on the rest of the vehicle showed that mud and vines had gummed up the wheels, causing the vehicle to move more erratically than it should while burning more fuel to cover a shorter distance. Thankfully it looked like the others were about to make quick work of the rest of the falling snakes.

"The ATV needs maintenance or it's going to die on us entirely. Am repairing it now. ETA 30 minutes." There was a small pause in the transmission then as she added. "Good... Job. Everyone." Came a very awkward sounding piece of mumbled praise over the comms that was probably more painful to experience than the entire fatigued battle they just experienced.

[Corwin]

Surviving the Heat
Vigor Roll: -2 Heat, +4 EBA: Vigor 1d10!: [10!, 9] = 19 -2+4=21
Wild: Wild 1d6!: [6!, 1] = 7

Spotting the Snakes
Notice: -2 Distracted -1 Drug-induced Euphoria/Tranquility +2 Multi-Optics Helmet: Notice 1d8-1: [2]-1 = 1
Wild: Wild 1d6!: [1] = 1
Just noticed this is not a crit fail, actual roll was 2 (not 1) Unused Tech difficulties: Tech Difficulties: 1d6: [2] = 2

Corwin had just exited the ATV after the hard stop. "Honestly guys, it's pretty nice down here!" His Juicer physiology compensating for the heat by injecting even more of the liquid tranquility than normal. Then he noticed Rex blazing away into the trees. That crazy chihuahua! he thought to himself. It was then he felt something latch onto the armor of his right forearm. Lifting it up, Corwin says, "Bra! There's snakes... OH sh*t! There's snakes!"

Bashing his helmet against the ATV as his bio-comp kicked into overdrive, Corwin goes into

Fighting 1d10!: [7] = 7
Wild 1d6!: [6!, 3] = 9 -1 Failure to spot = 8 sure hope that's a raise!

slashing first his own wrist snake and then any others he can find, anywhere! When at last there are no snakes left, he sinks down near one of the ATV tires and plucks the still-attached snakehead from his forearm. "Sharp!"

A while later he is looking forlornly at his helmet's

Electronics 1d4!: [2] = 2
Wild 1d6!: [4] = 4 since I didn't get a crit fail, it seems OK

system. He holds it up, squinting. "Glad I had this on my head, whew!"

[Henry]

OOC Comments

Vigor +2 d6
Notice-2 d8+2
Shooting d10

vigor roll = 11


V d6!!: [9!!] = 9 N 1d8!!: [2] = 2 WD N 1d6!!: [2] = 2 S 1d10!!: [6] = 6 S WD 1d6!!: [3] = 3


Shooting at -1 so a 5

Heat no problem
Noticing Snakes slow to realize
Shooting a Success.

---

Henry did a thing. A thing he hates to do. Sergeant Major Henry Grimes put his helmet on. Clicking the EBA armor's helmet into place the EBA system in the modified armor pumped cooling air through the suit. It was one thing to charge recklessly into battle inspiring troops with a stogie grit down on in your mouth and no helmet - but the heat was worse than death.

Henry took just a moment to thank fate the APC had stopped in time. It took a moment to back up and get all four wheels of the APC on level ground.

They were stuck here for a bit and Captain Bishop was already giving orders to get they rolling. Henry was glad to see her active.

The snakes ruined a good moment and the Sergeant Major bounded out the driver door and opened fire on the slithering demons with his WI grenade launcher.

"No rest for the wicked!", he barked and grinned.

[Bull Moose]

Bull Moose's EBA was working overtime, and even then the environment is oppressive. Still, he manages to

Vigor: 1d6!!-3: [7!!]-3 = 4
WD Vigor: 1d6!!-3: [4]-3 = 1

in the stuffy crew compartment.
Thanks to some swift driving and timely braking, they don't manage to dive off the cliff. Exiting the vehicle to take stock of their surroundings, the psi-stalker looks around the jungle. No movement along the ground seems odd. Then

Notice: 1d8!!-2: [7]-2 = 5
WD Notice: 1d6!!-2: [5]-2 = 3

forces him to look up. In a flash, he pulls his vibro knife in one hand and a bog-standard survival knife in the other. Both blades are razor sharp and serve the task of

Fighting: 1d8!!: [7] = 7
WD Fighting: 1d6!!: [2] = 2
Benny Elan Fighting: 1d8!!+2: [5]+2 = 7
Benny Elan WD Fighting: 1d6!!+2: [3]+2 = 5

. The combination of excessive heat and a furious frenzied wildlife whittling did get into his bones, though. Just a little more lethargic than he'd like, he shakes his head. "Man...that's a hell of a lot of snakes."