Rogue Trader - TO PRETHIAN

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

[Tonight, Andrea is in a very unfashionable void-suit. Under the void-suit, she has the surprisingly comfortable xeno-mesh armor. She is unarmed, though does have her data-slate, autoquill, and Ancestrial Seal with her, plus her microbead, multikey, and chrono. Under the assumption that she might get to doff the void-suit later, she also brought her Chameloline Cloak. The xeno-mesh is comfortable, but... it's a little clingy to be the only bit of clothing one has on.]

Andrea looks around the huge chamber, at once awed by the great scope of the monument, and annoyed at the lack of people. She certainly would be expected to stay in this uncomfortable void-suit until such time as somebody had been found. In case of emergency or some nonesense. It looked like there was sufficient air here; and sufficient power, if the lights from the far wall were an indicator. The idea that she'd have to continue tromping around in this nightmare of a suit... <shudder>

Honestly, it was like she'd willingly climbed into a bodybag before dying, and was now just walking her own corpse off to some strange morgue. Her vision was not only obscured by the faceplate, which was still slightly foggy in spite of all the constant cleaning she'd put on it, but she could only look forward now, because the plate only covered her face. Her hearing, normally so much better than a normal human's, was blocked by the thick material. And to top that off, she was constantly hearing the wheezing hiss of the suit's breathing system. The voices of the others were clearer to her through their shared vox-casters, in spite of the static and choppy nature of those devices reproductions of voices.

It was enough to make her feel isolated. Not exactly claustrophobic, but close. She felt isolated from humanity. Cut off from the society of humanity that was her birthright. This wasn't her first time walking the void... maybe her third or fourth. But she avoided them whenever possible. She once again pitied herself, and pitied all of the milieu of void-born who spent so much of their miserable lives cut off from basic contact. No wonder they chose to spend the rest of their time crammed together like bees.

• Tender are the merciful,
  But to pity is to sin.

Even self-pity, it would seem. Well, so be it. No more pity from this one. She hardened herself to the discomfort, resolved to keep herself strong even in the isolation from other humans, and resolve their current problem: finding supplies.

"Revered One, what does the Machine Spirit tell you? Where should we go to find what we seek? Where are there people in this place?"

[At the same time, let's try some Archeotech checks. Perhaps some illuminated cogi-vaults and data-crypts can tell us where the supplies are stored.]

[Montresor]

[Salt, and members of the landing party, begin to explore the vast loading hall for vehicles or other tech]

Rusted servitors stare endlessly and vacantly, their machine spirits having abandoned them. They stand huddled in corners, heaped over track lines, or they rot alone while waiting idly for commands which they can no longer respond to. Loading trays and single carriage platforms wait on or near track lines, but they too appear rusted and useless.

"Honored Enginseer, are there comms here? Can we talk to anyone?"

Metanus speaks quietly into his micro-bead, while animating an ancient data-crypt before him. Green light illumines the red-robed enginseer, whose own metal body makes a Void-Suit almost irrelevant for him. 'The Comms will not work from here. There is a Vox-Caster near the Astronomic Array that may revivify the machine spirits and provide us with the power to communicate across the entire station.

'But, have you noticed we cannot hear the shuttle pilots? I have tried to raise them, or the Invictus, and have had no success. It may be this moon's surface interfering with our the machine spirits, or it may be something else.

'I can open the great vault door to the rest of the station - there is power supplied to halls beyond - but I cannot say if there is any life there. The last records entered into the data crypts are from two years ago, but they are restricted and might only be accessed in the Command Crypt'.

[Andrea meanwhile examines some data-crypts. Although her archeotech is not helpful here, the systems seem simple to navigate. She sees a basic floorplan which identifies relevant sections of the base and notes that power is still retained in the Hab sections and the Command Crypt. The Supply vaults, the Plasma Generators, the Astronomic Array, and the Vox-Caster appear to have been sealed off from the powered sections. While investigating this, Andrea sees the same warning blinking on the screen as is painted on the great vault before them. However, it is apparent that someone has established a sophisticated control over-ride on the entire base which is operated only from this loading hall. Despite this, whoever did so appears to have allowed for anyone operating a data-crypt in the hall to unlock any part of the way station]

[Drak-Kung]

"Honored Engineseer, can you discern where the Command Crypt might be? There I would hope we might find a better idea of what transpired here. The possibility of some hostiles--human or otherwise--is my concern, knowing the nature of what happened may tell us, or at least give hints, as to what we face...assuming anything still lives to face us."

--Augur Array scanning for life signs--

[Montresor]

[Metanus performs rudimentary data-revivification rites with success]

In his raspy, grinding metallic tones, Metanus explains: 'The Command Crypt is located on the upper-central levels of the way-station. It can be accessed through the hab-levels by following the central core-hall, or it can be reached from the exterior by traversing the outer-shell of the station and accessing a service hatch. I can unlock the hatch from here, if desired'.

[Drak-Kung has 15 Armsmen with him, including Sergeant Markus. Ten are armed with lasguns, while 5 have shotguns. Due to the bulkiness of their Void Suits, none are wearing armour. In fact, only Andrea has any armour. Drak-Kung's inbuilt augur-array detects no signs of life besides averyone in the hall]

[Drak-Kung]

"Seneschal, I believe leadership here devolves upon you. My suggestion, for safety reasons, is to proceed within the station rather than the exterior. A damaged suit means certain death outside, inside is much more...forgiving."

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

[For some reason, I thought Garrius was in this group. Upon reviewing the actual posts, I find that not to be the case. I wasn't expecting to be in charge. The power might go to my head.]

Andrea is going through the interface of the data-crypt, and only vaguely listening to what's going on in the loading dock around her.

"Chief, take a look at this with me, would you please?" Andrea points to the floor plan, showing which sections are accessible from the hab areas and which aren't. "It seems to me, and please correct me if I'm wrong, someone from locked that area down from here. The Life Sustainers are still active for that area, but whatever is in there cannot get out, and cannot get to any systems allowing contact with the outside."

"It's as if someone set this up as a prison, though they clearly wanted the occupants to be able to survive. Based on that, I am... weary of trying to open up the box. At least until we know more about what's in there, and why it's in there."

"What confuses me, especially given the apparent rigidity in the 'pity is a sin' motto, is that whatever was put in there wasn't simply destroyed outright. I imagine that if this were a group of heretics, or dangerous xenos... the author of that motto would simply destroy the heretics or xenos outright. It's what I would do. But that wasn't done; and that fact interests me. Concerns me."

"Honored Metanus, if it's possible for some of us to traverse the exterior of the base to reach the Command Crypt, so as to avoid whatever is contained here, who would need to go? I see that Sub-lieutenant Salt has a jump-pack; would you need to accompany her to get the information, or is that something she or someone less valuable could retrieve? Also, can whatever is locked in the hab complex get to the Command Crypt?"

[Confirm please: the mercy / pity motto is painted into the decor as part of the original design, or is it added as graffiti later on?]

[Also confirm: can Andrea find a path from the loading docks to the supply vaults that avoids the powered / locked sections of the base? e.g. - is it possible to get to the supplies without having to investigate what's maybe locked in the 'prison' section? External access is fine... if we can land the shuttles near the outside of the vaults, and directly move the stuff into them, all the better.]

[For what it's worth, I actually have a plan, I just wanted to confirm the above before committing to anything. Andrea's tenor would reflect a confidence... she's not just timidly gathering information, she's looking for specific information to fill in gaps before making orders.]

[Montresor]

Metanus intones, the vox-cast of his micro-bead becoming more regulated and mettallic as he describes the situation: 'The Command Crypt is accessible from the hab-decks. There appears to be no attempt to seal it off, excluding the exterior hatches. All but its most basic functions have been neautralised. A devotee of the machine spirit with considerable skill must have performed these rites.

'I could not enter the Command Crypt from the exterior hatches. The superior locomotion of my lower-body prohibits complex physical operations. I could instruct others to perform simple rites from here, provided the base communications are revivified.

'Landing anywhere on the base seems impossible except at the launch pad. The gorges prohibit all safe access. There may be an anterior concealed landing zone near the Supply Vaults, which can be accessed by external service shafts. Again, the mechanisms for unlocking every access point have been re-routed to this hall, and no attempt has been made to conceal this or make doing so difficult'.

[I should have been clearer - the words on the great vault door are graffiti. The Hab decks and the entire locked section can be completely avoided, if desired. All other sections have external access points (though these may be hazardous, or they may not). As far as anyone can tell, there is nowhere on the base which can serve as an alternate landing zone, or anywhere on the craggy moon surface around]

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

"Thank you, wise one." Andrea nods to Metanus. "So, then... here is what we will do. Sub-Lieutenant Salt, you will use your jump pack to travel through the void to the exterior hatch and enter into the Command Crypt. There, you will obey all of Honored Metanus' instructions. All of them, do you hear? So that we can find out why this was done. You'll probably need to enable the station's vox-casters, as well. If you feel that bringing someone along would improve your chances of success, you may choose someone."

"Now, under normal circumstances, I would suggest that we stay here until we know more. However, our home is in dire straits; we simply do not have the leisure to wait for complete information before we act. Therefore, the rest of us will proceed through those doors, with all possible haste, to scout around inside. If there are supplies here, we need them. Quickly."

Andrea turns back to the Tech-Priest. "Your reverence, until we know what's in there, I am not comfortable leaving these doors open once we are through them. Would you stay behind, to allow us egress? Perhaps you will be able to assist us from out here, since you will still have access to the base's machine spirit from here. You are not mine to command, but I hope you will do us all this favor."

[Salt]

"If you feel that bringing someone along would improve your chances of success, you may choose someone."

"Nah, they'd just git in mah way. If I need anything, I'll holler up them boys in the shuttles. They can do a fly-by or somethin'."

I walk over to Metanus. "Padre, teach me what I'll need to know. I don't wanna anger the machine spirits. I figure if'n we can git the vox-caster workin', you can guide me through the rest of it."

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

"Chief, Lieutenant Tyor, please study these floorplans before we leave, as will I. And have your men do so as well." To Tyor, in a lowered voice, "But not the conscripts, if you please Lieutenant. They'll be more tractable if only we know where the exits are." Andrea herself also takes a little time to study the layout, copying it as best she can to her data slate."

"Once that is done, let us proceed through those doors. And then I would ask that Honored Metanus close the door behind us."

Andrea turns to Sterr [Forgot he was here, too.] Will you accompany us, Wise One? There is risk, but your strength could only help us. And, to be honest, this whole situation worries me. I fear that whatever is within might exert... influence upon us. I would feel infinitely more secure, knowing that someone incorruptable were amongst us. Either to notice any influences on our minds, or to destroy us if those influences threaten to take us away from the Emperor's path."

[Player sanity check: Astropaths have the "Imperial Conditioning" thing going on, right?]

[Drak-Kung]

On alert, as doors open...using Augur array to scan......bolt pistol in one hand, monoblade in the other...

[Lt. Commander Zarkov]

Lt. Peraton takes Lt. Cmmdr Zarkov and roughly 200 Armsmen and ratings to the surface of the planet while Salt leads three converted naval lander shuttles to the moon.

Actually, you may as well get the ball rolling by deciding who and what you plan on taking.

[Standard weapons, 3 clips of boltpistol rounds. I assume as with the others a void suit obviates the use of armour. Zarkov leaves his subordinate, Sub-Lieutenant Bohn, in charge of gunnery operations on the bridge. He brings several of his trusted officers including Warrant Officer Sturshyi and Ensign Castus, as well as armsmen he knows from the bridge to act as his command squad.]

Zarkov felt distinctly uncomfortable as they neared the surface of Duranastil-Providence II. He had not been planetside in nearly two years. While he was used to the feel of a void suit from his younger days, the thought of being in cold vacuum brought back memories he would sooner forget.

[Montresor]

[Astropaths are Conditioned and, partly because of this and their higher Willpower scores etc, they are more resistant. Sterr also strikes people as - despite a little odd - to be outside of undue influence. On the other hand, some psykers can be more susceptible to the Warp's predations]

As Metanus begins to intone the rites of wakening to Salt, Sterr nods calmly to Andrea. 'I will travel with you. I have been tuning my mind all this while to see what haunts this place and I have uncovered nothing. This is a dead place'.

Tyor brings his men in line, and with a few stern words has them form up ready to advance into the station as a rearguard. There is no disobedience to his command, but whether the men fear the Helmsman's legendary cruelty or the prospect of lingering too long in this place is unclear.

Once Salt has memorised, as best she can, the basic rites of awakening Sterr approaches her. 'Tread silently and make as little noise as the dead. The grave is ever vigilant for the sounds of the living'.

[Salt's encounters will be run via PM, as communication will be impossible until Vox-arrays are restored]

.... .... .... ....

Inside the station, dust swirls in whirlpools of ventillation, scattering a soft grey film of the past over the empty halls. An immense multi-storeyed hall extends to darkened recesses, where lumen globes sputter with fading strength. Statues and frescoes of the Imperial Cult can be seen flanking every entranceway, and some carry banners stained with neglect.

As the great vault doors close upon Drak-Kung, Andrea, and the advance party from the Invictus, some of the swirling dust begins to coat their void-suits. It is the only sign of movement in the hall. On the interior side of the vault doors a great tally of scratch marks, interspersed occassionally with inscribed marks of the Aquila, is barely visible beneath the dust.

[From here, you can access any of the areas in the base which I have not previously listed as being sealed from this section. The base is quite spread out and, if you wish to split up, you will become relatively isolated. You discover that your micro-beads can no longer reach Metanus, Salt, or anyone more than about a hundred yards away]

[Montresor]

Duranastil-Providence II

[The journey from the Invictus to the planet is lengthy, though not particularly arduous. I assumed that two landers would be used, with about two-score crew for the expedition altogether. Various armaments have been brought for the mission for a range of possibilities, including the captured autocannon from the pirates. Peraton pilots the lander in which Zarkov travelled]

Zarkov and his detachment disembark in an incongruous, deceptively hospitable, stretch of soft earth in one of the few temperate regions of the ice-world. The landers find some difficulty in setting down on such damp earth, and Peraton advises that Zarkov will have to identify a more suitable landing zone for them within the hour, or the mission may have to be aborted. With the detachment disembarked, the landers return to the sky, circling the area from high above.

The landing zone itself is about a mile from one of the great lakes, which can be seen over a rise, blackly still. Ice-capped mountains ring the surroundings, while a haze of steam rises from their lush foothills. Thin forests of green, blue, and red plants dot the base of the mountains, while stubby yellow roots puncture the earth around the landing zone, though no other plant forms are immediately apparent.

Zarkov's void-suit registers an oddly chill warm temperature, though infrequent icy winds yawn from the mountain wall.

Sturshyi and Castus are close by to Zarkov, giving directions to the crew to find less marshy ground to place the heavier equipment on. While taking in the scene, Zarkov notes an unfamiliar portly figure in a void-suit giving some instructions. Zarkov does not remember selecting anyone of such a build for the mission.

[Andrea Chan-Gauthier]

[Astropaths are Conditioned and, partly because of this and their higher Willpower scores etc, they are more resistant. Sterr also strikes people as - despite a little odd - to be outside of undue influence. On the other hand, some psykers can be more susceptible to the Warp's predations]

[In her sheltered life, Andrea would know that random psykers are picked up and sent to the Emporer. Only the worthy ones are sent back out into the world. Therefore, Sterr must, by definition, have met with the Emperor's personal (and therefore infallible) approval. Hell, Sterr most likely kissed the Emperor's ring, psychically. They're very nearly good friends. The man is beyond suspicion.]

As Metanus begins to intone the rites of wakening to Salt, Sterr nods calmly to Andrea. 'I will travel with you. I have been tuning my mind all this while to see what haunts this place and I have uncovered nothing. This is a dead place'.

Andrea doesn't even attempt to hide her relief at Sterr's words. "Thank you, honored sage. With your help, I do not doubt that we will survive to find whatever supplies there are in this base."

On the interior side of the vault doors a great tally of scratch marks, interspersed occassionally with inscribed marks of the Aquila, is barely visible beneath the dust.

[Clarify please: are these random looking scratches (e.g. - some non-sentient being clawing to get out), or organized markings (e.g. - a prisoner counting the days of his incarceration in neat groups of four vertical lines with one diagonal)?]

[From here, you can access any of the areas in the base which I have not previously listed as being sealed from this section. The base is quite spread out and, if you wish to split up, you will become relatively isolated. You discover that your micro-beads can no longer reach Metanus, Salt, or anyone more than about a hundred yards away][/quote]

[Had to scan back to find out what was and was not available from here]

[Andrea meanwhile examines some data-crypts... She sees a basic floorplan which identifies relevant sections of the base and notes that power is still retained in the Hab sections and the Command Crypt. The Supply vaults, the Plasma Generators, the Astronomic Array, and the Vox-Caster appear to have been sealed off from the powered sections... However, it is apparent that someone has established a sophisticated control over-ride on the entire base which is operated only from this loading hall. Despite this, whoever did so appears to have allowed for anyone operating a data-crypt in the hall to unlock any part of the way station]

[Going slightly retroactive, in light of the above, the following happens in the docking bay.]

Speaking out loud, though really more for her own benefit, Andrea tells Drak-Kung and Tyor, "It is from here that we may open the doors to the Supply Vaults. Our objectives are to discover quickly if there even are supplies there, and to revive the machine spirits of the base, so that we may communicate and discover the state of things. 'Things' meaning any hidden dangers to the place, of course. Some few of us should attempt to reach the Command Crypt internally, in case the Sub-Lieutenant fails in her mission. The rest, I believe, should proceed to the Supply Vaults. It will take many people to inventory, pack up, and begin to move whatever supplies are. That should be the majority of our force."

"Chief, choose some few of your Guardsmen. Send them to the Command Crypt. Perhaps the Sub-Lieutenant will succeed before they arrive, and the vox-casters will be restored. Then we may communicate, and their orders may change. The rest of you will accompany the good Lieutenant and myself, and of course the Lieutenant's charges here, to the Supply Vaults."

"Honored Metanus, though it seems there will be some risk to myself, it seems that the most expedient path to us involves entry into the Supply Vaults before we know why they are sealed off from the Hab area. Would you be so kind as to enable the door controls, so that when we have arrived we may gain entry? With luck, the vox-casters will have been revived by then, and we needn't enter blindly. But I cannot have all our progress depend on the Command Crypt." [Worst case, if he can just OPEN the doors to the Supply Vaults, we'll go through them. But I'd rather the doors stay closed until we get there, in case whatever's in there doesn't realize the doors are unlocked.]

Andrea quickly notes the path to the Supply Vaults into her dataslate, and away they go. [I envision Drak-Kung and his men doing some kind of special-forces action, a few covering the rest as they move forward in small bursts before taking positions from which they may cover the waves after them. Whatever that's called. Behind them will come Tyor and Andrea, with Andrea likely making no attempt to stay to cover, under the assumption that DK's team has made things safe for her. Then Tyor's conscripts beind, covering the rear from ambush, etc. Continue in this fashion until we get to the Supply Vault, or until something unexpected happens. I'm going to guess the latter to be more likely.]

[Montresor]

t;]On the interior side of the vault doors a great tally of scratch marks, interspersed occassionally with inscribed marks of the Aquila, is barely visible beneath the dust.

[Clarify please: are these random looking scratches (e.g. - some non-sentient being clawing to get out), or organized markings (e.g. - a prisoner counting the days of his incarceration in neat groups of four vertical lines with one diagonal)?]

[It appears to be a tally etched with deliberate effort. Although there are no diagonal lines grouping blocks of five, the tally seems fairly typical of someone marking time, days, kills etc. Every now and again, the tally is interspersed with similar etchings of Ecclesiarchal symbols.

I will wait a couple of days to give Drak-Kung the chance to debate your plan]

[Drak-Kung]

A brisk nod, and quick instructions to the detachment...I take point, 40 meters in the lead....2 more at "slack", halfway between me and the main group....6 with main group, 2 drag (20 meters back), and 2 at tail end (10 meters behind drag). Highest alertness/listen skills are in tail position. I have Augur array running, every round switching scan modes, moving fairly slowly, to allow multiple scan types to cover our every move.

[Lt. Commander Zarkov]

Lt. Peraton takes Lt. Cmmdr Zarkov and roughly 200 Armsmen and ratings to the surface of the planet while Salt leads three converted naval lander shuttles to the moon.

I assumed that two landers would be used, with about two-score crew for the expedition altogether.

[So which is it? 40 or 200? Or some number in between? Or is the 40 an advance party and the other 160 coming later when we find solid ground for the lander? Sorry if I've missed something just clarifying.]

The landers find some difficulty in setting down on such damp earth, and Peraton advises that Zarkov will have to identify a more suitable landing zone for them within the hour, or the mission may have to be aborted. With the detachment disembarked, the landers return to the sky, circling the area from high above.

The nagging sense of discomfort Zarkov had felt enroute to the planet was rising within him. It wasn’t just that he was planetside – he felt his connection with the ship was compromised. Peraton. Zarkov knew the lieutenant would be happy to leave him here on this blasted rock, he had the means and the motive. Peraton was in charge of the only way off the planet; all he needed to do was botch the recovery of Zarkov’s team and he would have his revenge. Even if Garrius didn’t buy whatever story Peraton spun, he wouldn’t have the evidence to try Peraton, a noble, at court martial. Not that he’d want to, Zarkov thought. Peraton would make a perfectly loyal and subservient XO. A second in command that would not step up to inform the captain when his judgement was in error, but rather try to further advance his own position. Plans to this effect must already be going through Peraton’s mind, Zarkov though. He had to outsmart him; to escape from the noose he could feel tightening around his neck. But first he had to deal with his immediate situation.

Zarkov ordered the autocannon crew to set up a temporary firing position on an area of solid ground while the rest of the party secured the immediate area. The area could be described as swampy; though Zarkov had never seen a swamp – and this looked nothing like the pict-recordings he had seen. The ground was indeed soft, and heavy going in void suits.

Sturshyi and Castus are close by to Zarkov, giving directions to the crew to find less marshy ground to place the heavier equipment on. While taking in the scene, Zarkov notes an unfamiliar portly figure in a void-suit giving some instructions. Zarkov does not remember selecting anyone of such a build for the mission.

Zarkov’s blood ran cold; he had handpicked this team - what was this man doing here?! His searching mind immediately turned to his nemesis. Peraton must have something to do with this. Perhaps the plan was not to leave him on the planet after all, but to assassinate him. An agent of Peraton’s could easily and surreptitiously rupture his void suit, leaving him exposed to whatever passed for an atmosphere on this cold planet. He told himself that it was just paranoia, that the stress of being on soft earth rather than cold steel was getting to him. Still, he could not shake this feeling that something was fundamentally wrong. He beckoned to Sturshyi to open a private comms channel.

“Warrant Officer, I handpicked this party: fit, trustworthy men all – of whom you I trust the most. Pray tell then, who is this rasva värdjas I see giving orders? How is it that he is here?“

[Montresor]

WAY-STATION

Drak-Kung leads the detachment into the bowels of the way-station, he and his men taking point and staying alert for any signs of movement. The advance squad of Armsmen sent to the Command Crypt have long since vanished from sight, dust soon settling on their wake.

Andrea and Sterr follow along the middle, with the Astropath maintaining complete silence and fixing his eyes always forward.

Tyor and his detachment makeup the rearguard.

After long minutes of marching by stone gargoyles, carven saints, and depictions of epochs in the ten-millennia history of the Imperium, the party arrives at the great sealed bays of the Supply Vaults. The bays themselves bear numerous signs of scratches, dents, blast-scarring, and other major and minor stresses. Yet, despite these numerous marks (which have now mostly been smeared in dust), the bays remain dauntless and unmoved.

While the group examines the area, ventillators begin to power down in the area. Dust almost swims to the floor, settling in thick swathes. From the long corridor down which the party travelled the sound of ventillation units becomes a steady, droning dirge.

[EDIT - There is a control box next to the bay doors, but it is a mangle of re-wires and burnt machinery]

[Montresor]

DURANASTIL-PROVIDENCE II

[So which is it? 40 or 200? Or some number in between? Or is the 40 an advance party and the other 160 coming later when we find solid ground for the lander? Sorry if I've missed something just clarifying.]

[Sorry, that's my fault for not giving all the information I should have. After having seen stats in a supplement, those landers can't carry too many men and a lot of equipment. As such, it will still be three landers, but only about three-score men. My apologies]

“Warrant Officer, I handpicked this party: fit, trustworthy men all – of whom you I trust the most. Pray tell then, who is this rasva värdjas I see giving orders? How is it that he is here?“

Despite the fact that a closed-comms channel makes such precautions unecessary, Sturshyi draws closer to Zarkov.

'I'm not sure, sir. I think he was in one of the other landers. One of the flight crew, possibly. I'd say he's one of Peraton's cronies'.

As the landing parties begin to fan out and secure the area, the autocannon crew search for more level ground to establish a fire-base. After several minutes, some decent high ground on a rocky hillock is found. A thin purplish moss proliferates here, growing tenaciously around the tiny, sharp stones which are littered everywhere near the hillock.

As the other men search for decent ground and secure the area, the distant lake ripples gloomily near the shore.