Owned-You Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) Francisco overlooked the maps quickly thinking to himself that this river system was nothing too complex... it was a mystery to him how these ruins could be hidden for so long. Then for a faint moment the idea struck him that somehow there was something ominous about the river, danger perhaps or was it apprehension given the fact that their Jorge had seemingly given them these materials and departed with haste. Something about a man handing him instructions and then rushing out without time for questions in a nervous kind of panic simply sent alarms through Francisco. He glanced once more at the composition of the crew, noticing the large abundance of grizzly men; mercenaries being another term that seemed to fit the crew. He however noticed some unique members, an elderly monk who carried little survival gear and did not seem to fit on board... he was not dressed for the jungles but rather Sunday mass. Across the ship he noticed a scholarly women standing seemingly absorbed in books; or so her appearance conveyed. Both seemingly stood out among the crew and he took some solace in the fact that there were people aboard who weren't entirely absorbed with gaining riches he thought...or were they. Curious as to why a scholar would be aboard this trip Francisco approached her from across the ship noticing she stood next to another fellow he guessed to be of Portuguese based on his accent. "Excuse me for interrupting, but I must ask. Why are you here miss? You seem out of place standing among us..." he glanced at the Portuguese man "glory seekers." Edited December 21, 2011 by Owned-You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 [quote name='Owned-You' timestamp='1324437734' post='2882995'] "Excuse me for interrupting, but I must ask. Why are you here miss? You seem out of place standing among us..." he glanced at the Portuguese man "glory seekers." [/quote] Sonia looked over at the other voice to join the and saw another Spanish looking man with a handsome face staring down at her. "Oh? Well I received the response from Doctor Silvar at the University back in Ehestadt. I'm an anthropologist so I was hoping that the relics that the Doctor spoke about in the letter might be brought back with me to Ehestadt for display at the museum there. Of course he talked about selling them off, so I was hoping to perhaps just get pictures or a few sketches down before they become part of the capital market. I didn't expect though that Doctor Silvar sent the letter out to so many and such a...well...colorful group of individuals. But I'm not bothered, if the river is as dangerous as I've heard it is, we could use all the ammunition we can get." She said with a nervous chuckle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShammySocialist Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Silvar's quick in and out appearance, which probably lasted little more than ten minutes was a little foreboding to Victor, as he looked at the maps, and tried to correlate them to the images of the maps burned into his mind from studying them for the past two days. After listening in to Silvar's speech for a few of the minutes he was there, he helped the crew, much to their surprise, stow the gear evenly in the decks below, to distribute the new weight. As he came out onto the deck again, he found himself next to Silvar when he handed over the laminated maps, which he looked at momentarily as Silvar departed the boat. He would bid their expedition benefactor good bye, before turning to the rest of the assembled passengers, and stating, "Well, I guess that's that then, I'll put these maps in a folder in the pilothouse, so anyone can view them anytime, and I guess we'll get underway." He then went forward to the pilothouse, after Ortario nodded that he was prepared to cast off, and he set to work with another crewman, getting the boats engines ready to turn over. Ortario and another crewman would untie the riverboat from the dock, then push off into the river. The crewman standing in the pilothouse with Victor nodded, "Ready." Victor reached down for the starting mechanism, and turned it over, before hitting a push start button. The crafts' engine sputtered for a few seconds, coughed, and then died, causing Victor to grimace, as he waited for a moment. After a few seconds, he depressed the button again, the engine sputtered and coughed, and Victor cursed in French at boat, and gave the helm a good slap, the engine turned over into a steady "putting" sound. The engine was sputtering, but as the crewman excitedly spoke in Spanish, it roared to life, shuddering underneath their feet, as Victor pushed the throttle up on the dash, and maneuvered the craft away from the quay, and out towards the middle of the river and started heading upriver. The Rio Negro Expedition had begun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owned-You Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 [quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' timestamp='1324438354' post='2883006'] Sonia looked over at the other voice to join the and saw another Spanish looking man with a handsome face staring down at her. "Oh? Well I received the response from Doctor Silvar at the University back in Ehestadt. I'm an anthropologist so I was hoping that the relics that the Doctor spoke about in the letter might be brought back with me to Ehestadt for display at the museum there. Of course he talked about selling them off, so I was hoping to perhaps just get pictures or a few sketches down before they become part of the capital market. I didn't expect though that Doctor Silvar sent the letter out to so many and such a...well...colorful group of individuals. But I'm not bothered, if the river is as dangerous as I've heard it is, we could use all the ammunition we can get." She said with a nervous chuckle. [/quote] Francisco observed her facial features as she spoke and had his assumptions confirmed; she was a scholar. "Ehestadt is a beautiful place, I went on a trip there once with family... I admire that your would have the bravery to enter into the wilds in order to satisfy your archaeological thirsts. It is refreshing to know that I'm not the only educated man aboard." He paused glancing up at the rest of the crew "I fear the greatest dangers may not be found on the river." He then gave a slight smile and said "I've forgotten my manners miss, apologies. My name is Francisco but you may call me Frank... And your name is?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 [quote name='Owned-You' timestamp='1324439244' post='2883017'] Francisco observed her facial features as she spoke and had his assumptions confirmed; she was a scholar. "Ehestadt is a beautiful place, I went on a trip there once with family... I admire that your would have the bravery to enter into the wilds in order to satisfy your archaeological thirsts. It is refreshing to know that I'm not the only educated man aboard." He paused glancing up at the rest of the crew "I fear the greatest dangers may not be found on the river." He then gave a slight smile and said "I've forgotten my manners miss, apologies. My name is Francisco but you may call me Frank... And your name is?" [/quote] "Sonia Belendes," She said smiling, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure Francisco, a true pleasure." Moving her books and maps, Sonia gestured at the seat beside her. "Please sit down, I could use the company," then feeling the boat begin to move she bounced in her seat and watched as Manaus began to pass them. "Anyways, you said you've been to Ehestadt? It's the last Austrian enclave in the world really. With all of Europe becoming Communist and Nordic, we can still hang onto a little slice of true culture and in Asia of all places. But you've been there then? You'll have to tell me about your travels. And you are from around here, Frank?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iKrolm Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Guy Valentin listened to Jorge Silvar's introduction, his eyes narrowing in surprise as Silvar declined to take questions and left in a hurry. He glanced over the maps, which said the boat was headed up the Rio Negro, and he watched the DVD, which showed a few museum pieces but again held little of value. So he looked at the map and watched the DVD again, just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He hadn't. By this time, the ship was noisily putting it's way up river so Guy maneuvered past those crowding around the group's sole female and made his way to the pilothouse where he found Victor at the controls. "Victor Lafayette? Guy Valentin," he offered a handshake when Victor had a chance. "Forgive me for bothering you, but you seem to be in charge of our vessel so I was hoping you could answer a question or two after our esteemed benefactor has to step out so quickly." "Bear with me for a moment, but not too long ago I saw an ad for an Archaeological Expedition up the Rio Negro and applied, not really expecting to hear back. Two weeks ago, I received a reply that said to be in Manaus City within 2 weeks and I'll be paid when we return. Now I've never been to South America, but I've seen a fair share of the philippine jungles so I figured heck, that must've counted for something right?" "Well here I am, but I've never been on an expedition where the leader didn't take questions and look at the group assembled here: the academics I can understand, but the paramilitaries and a priest who won't look at a map? Victor--if I may call you that: just what does Mr. Silvar expect us to run into on our voyage?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShammySocialist Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) Victor looked in the boat's rear view mirror that had a crack through it, thinking momentarily, [i]Hopefully its been seven years[/i], before flicking his eyes to see a number of his counterparts on the expedition crew crowding around Sonia. [i]Typical[/i], thought Victor to himself, with a grin, as he maneuvered the boat steadily upriver, checking the fathometer every so often. He noticed one of the expedition members making his way forward, and he leaned back against the rickety seat, preferring to remain standing. The pilothouse was still hot, and even though they were moving, the headway wind was doing little to keep the pilothouse ventilated. Victor nodded, when Guy drew even with him, shaking his hand, and listening to the Filipino's initial statement. "I was hired as a nautical jack-of-all-trades, Mr. Valentin, I suppose, and as it appears now, I stepped in to run the vessel, I guess." Victor looked at the crew, which appeared to be sitting about, now that they were underway, many of them occupying the bow of the boat, Ortario appeared to have returned to his hammock following the bosses' appearance, which left Victor running the boat alone. He didn't really mind, he liked sailing, it was his passion and his livelihood. "Right," responded Victor, glancing at Guy as he was seeming to spill out his thoughts to Victor, as the latter smoothly steered the boat wide of a local fisherman and his son sitting in a skinny river fishing vessel, the man waved, which elicited to Victor wave back with a smile. Victor nodded, as Guy finished up his statement, and said, "Frankly Mr. Valentin, I do not know what he expects us to run into, we're on a boat full of what appears to be thrill-seekers and treasure hunters. The civil war that ripped apart the Holy American Empire was a ferocious one, who knows what we could run into upriver, the news was pretty spotty back in Louisiana, but it was clear that things were pretty horrible down here. Hell, one of my friends from high school died in the Cajun military when they jumped into the Caribbean and ran into biological weapons." He gave his counterpart a dark look, and shrugged, saying with a scoff, "With all the guns on board, I swear we're more liable to have an accidental shooting rather than actually needing them," saying with a whisper, "hopefully." "I wish I had more answers, Mr. Valentin, but your point probably raises more questions than anything else," he said, with another shrug, as he eased off on the throttle a bit, while they were passing a large grouping of fishing boats. Being a fellow mariner, Victor knew it was the polite and correct thing to do. He smiled politely at Mr. Valentin, "So, what is your specialty, Mr. Valentin?" Edited December 21, 2011 by TheShammySocialist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowsage Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 "A lot more than just biological weapons, gentlemen." The Exar strode from his isolated position at the back of the cabin to join both the pilot and the inquisitive gentleman at the helm. He removed the pistol from its' holster and removed the magazine. While Azazoth talked, he inspected the magazine for any signs of flaws or imperfections. An ill-seated magazine had killed quite a few soldiers, and there was no way he wanted to become one of them. "If you would let me clarify a few things," he started in the low growl that seemed to be his only tone of voice, "the Holy American Empire claimed domain in the interior of the Amazon in much the same way as the United States claimed the western lands prior to their civil war, hundreds of years ago. The vital difference is that with the numerous abominations and trigger happy Diberian survivors in the interior, it was never settled enough to even warrant voting rights. That's the good news. "The bad news is that the Empire found it extremely convenient to hide all sorts of nasty testing facilities and secret weapon grounds in the jungle. I can tell you stories about gases that make a man's muscles rot from beneath his skin." In a single motion he turned and spat thickly into the water. "There are rumors about Imperial survivors that continue to proclaim allegiance to the dead Empire. The only real advice I have is to check your surroundings, keep an open mind thinking of traps, and for the love of god don't enter any buildings you don't have to." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iKrolm Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) Guy's unease grew as he learned that the ship captain knew little more than he did, but the feeling passed as Victor's question launched him into spiel mode. "Please, no need for Mr. Valentin here--just call me Guy. I'm a large game hunter for an expedition company out in Selenarctos. Wealthy business man from Manila or a well-off official from the UFE or even further wants bragging rights or a beast to hang on his wall? We hook them up. Seven days and six nights trekking through the deep Luzon or Mindandao jungles in pursuit of birds, monkeys, deer, buffalo--whatever suits your fancy, really--we'll find it, track it and get you in perfect position for the shot. Then we'll take the trophy pictures, gut and clean it, and ship it to the location of your choosing. Add in two days travel time plus two nights in the nearest luxury hotel and you've got yourself a full nine days of vacation using only five days of vacation time away from work," Guy finished a grin. "The money's good and I only sit in an office when we have fill out injury forms, but running rich men around all the time becomes tedious, you know? So I decided to take a break. Thought about traveling the world, maybe Africa or Europe but then I heard about this endeavor and figured, 'If I don't care where I'm going, it wouldn't hurt to be paid to get there now would it?' So here I am," he shrugged as Exar joined them, and listened to the man's tale. "South America's got more than it's fair share of ghost stories and propaganda horrors if you ask me, but Diberia's been gone for almost thirty years now and their legacy of monsters with it. Surely all but a very few traces have vanished in so much time?" Edited December 21, 2011 by iKrolm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Timmy Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 [quote name='Shadowsage' timestamp='1324448546' post='2883154'] "A lot more than just biological weapons, gentlemen." The Exar strode from his isolated position at the back of the cabin to join both the pilot and the inquisitive gentleman at the helm. He removed the pistol from its' holster and removed the magazine. While Azazoth talked, he inspected the magazine for any signs of flaws or imperfections. An ill-seated magazine had killed quite a few soldiers, and there was no way he wanted to become one of them. "If you would let me clarify a few things," he started in the low growl that seemed to be his only tone of voice, "the Holy American Empire claimed domain in the interior of the Amazon in much the same way as the United States claimed the western lands prior to their civil war, hundreds of years ago. The vital difference is that with the numerous abominations and trigger happy Diberian survivors in the interior, it was never settled enough to even warrant voting rights. That's the good news. "The bad news is that the Empire found it extremely convenient to hide all sorts of nasty testing facilities and secret weapon grounds in the jungle. I can tell you stories about gases that make a man's muscles rot from beneath his skin." In a single motion he turned and spat thickly into the water. "There are rumors about Imperial survivors that continue to proclaim allegiance to the dead Empire. The only real advice I have is to check your surroundings, keep an open mind thinking of traps, and for the love of god don't enter any buildings you don't have to." [/quote] "If there's a pay cheque at the end of this hell bound trip, I'll go through every single building in this jungle by myself if I have to." Keeping his calm demeanor he drew his revolver and loaded six rounds into the chamber, "And God help anyone that gets in my way, Imperial remnants or not." "Assuming we're actually here to find these 'antiquities' and not route out the end of a dead empire I'm sure it will be easy enough to stay well out of their way." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShammySocialist Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) Victor nodded, as he listened to Guy's explanation of his job, and he replied, "I guess I could be considered the maritime version of you, of sorts, I run fishing and boat tours out of Southern Louisiana. Of course, not exactly as out there as the jungles of Luzon, but the sea and the bayous have their own dangers." Feeling as though most of the members of the expedition didn't know what they were getting themselves into, including himself now, it seemed, Victor had half a mind to turn the boat around to Manaus. But instead of turning the boat around, after passing by another couple fishing boats, he increased the throttle some, and looked up at the arrival of another member of the expedition at the pilothouse. Azazoth appeared to be an imposing character, but Victor paid little attention to the man's attitude, as he checked the clip from his pistol, as he spoke, then hearing Guy's reaction to Azazoth's statement. "I prefer to keep my feet wet, I'm not as [i]sure-footed[/i] on land, if you catch my drift, so I doubt you'll have to worry about me wandering into any abandoned weapons testing facilities," chuckled Victor, giving the Imperial a reassuring look. "We're probably not going to stumble upon anything until we get to those dig sites anyways, most of the first leg appears to be by boat, so," said Victor, as he flicked his eyes at the fathometer, then turned the boat hard to starboard, then correcting his course smoothly. "I'm going to take this trip one step at a time." He pointed at fathometer at what looked a blotch in the screen, and said simply to Guy and Azazoth, "And the first step, for me, gentlemen, is not catching the boat on one of those. We catch a submerged rock or tree on the bottom of this craft, and this expedition will be over before it even starts. Gotta deal with the crises that come at you, and let the ones who won't come at you unless you toy with them, lie." Victor made the statement confidently, but from what the Imperial had said, he knew this was not going to be a simple ride out into the Gulf of Mexico, or a fishing trip in the backwater bayous of coastal Louisiana. As another companion arrived at the pilothouse, to give his own speech, Victor gave him a look, then said, "If they're not shooting at you, Mr. Malone, best not to get in a shooting match by firing the first shot. We have a long trip ahead of us, I'd rather like to stay optimistic, whether it is naive or not. Again, life is taken one step at a time, this journey should be as well." He simply shrugged his shoulders, and flicked his eyes back to the river, his demeanor appearing relaxed, but if one had a look inside of Victor Lafayette's mind, it was swimming with questions and doubts, and they weren't even through the first couple hours of their journey northward. Edited December 21, 2011 by TheShammySocialist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owned-You Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 [quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' timestamp='1324441220' post='2883053'] "Sonia Belendes," She said smiling, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure Francisco, a true pleasure." Moving her books and maps, Sonia gestured at the seat beside her. "Please sit down, I could use the company," then feeling the boat begin to move she bounced in her seat and watched as Manaus began to pass them. "Anyways, you said you've been to Ehestadt? It's the last Austrian enclave in the world really. With all of Europe becoming Communist and Nordic, we can still hang onto a little slice of true culture and in Asia of all places. But you've been there then? You'll have to tell me about your travels. And you are from around here, Frank?" [/quote] "Yes, I've been there" He said while taking a seat beside Sonia. "I've been to a great many places in my time...I've been to every continent barring Antartica & Australia." He paused and looked back sharply upon hearing the engine sputter. "Though I would say that most if not all of my trips were spent in relative luxury in comparison to this old thing." He let out a light laugh and continued on. "But to answer your question I am not from around here specifically but I have traveled around the region to have a decent understanding of it. The thing that is deadliest out here is stupidity--you cannot afford to make any missteps out in this land otherwise you risk losing a leg, your life, or worse... Would it be safe to assume that this is your first time in South America?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurius Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 While the limited instructions caused Silvio to have some doubts he made sure not to show them, as a Razor he had gone into something with much less information. After making a copy of the maps in his mind he walked towards the front of the ship looking over the railing to the river around them. Silvio visibly shook his head as he noticed the triggerhappy men everywhere on the ship. "Idiots, they'll end up shooting themselves in the foot" he said to himself. While he himself was armed it was purely for defense and he didn't show it so visibly either, his gun was concealed and while fully loaded the other magazines were locked away. You couldn't use gun accidents on a trip like this and if some of the rumors were true they'd need every bullet available for whatever lay beyond. After admiring the environment for a while he stepped back, he snickered as he noticed the attention Sonia was getting from other members of the expedition. Some of the people seemed rather out of place, especially the missionary got his attention. As he walked back to the center of the boat again he sat down at one of the benches, there was a long voyage ahead and they'd need all the rest for when they arrived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Enema Posted December 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 [b]Scene Post[/b] Day fades into night and there is a mild sense of relief as the heat slowly wisps away. The roars of the animals in the jungle can be heard out on the river and as the darkness casts its shadows even louder and eery sense of foreboding comes with it. The mosquitoes are out, the fish are jumping, and the crewmen are have just finished cooking a simple dinner of beans, rice, and tortillas. The riverboat chugs closer and closer to the first site and if the helmsman is anything of a navigator he'll notice that they are only a short distance from the tributary system. What he won't notice on the maps is the river is filled with fallen trees and other dangerous snags. None the less, a man of his skill ought to pick up on those details quickly enough if his eyes are kept well open. [b]Site 1[/b] "Senor, a boat is coming." "What kind of boat?" "Senor, they said it is a boat filled with foreigners that left from Manaus yesterday." "Damn, get everyone ready, we'll have to decide what we are going to do if they come here." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShammySocialist Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 As the afternoon wore into evening, Victor would notice the frequency of snags becoming more frequent as they moved away from more inhabited shores, the fishing boats disappeared, the friendly waves and smiles earlier turned to only memories. The boat was making decent time, and the fathometer was doing its job, he just had to make sure he was paying attention to it. The fishing villages gave way to dense, unforgiving jungle, whose trees leaned precariously over the river. There was one upside to going farther upriver, the canopy was blocking out the seemingly inescapable sun that continued to sink lower in the sky. As things began to grow dark, Victor would take his dinner in the now cooled off pilothouse, continuing to steer the boat while he formed his beans and rice into a ball on a tortilla, and ate it like a quesdilla. The fallen trees in the river were also becoming a problem, as some were not actually in the water, rather they were leaning right over in front of the boat, barely above the surface of the water. Dealing with them would be a problem at night, there had already been a number of instances where a sprigs of branches would slide along the boat, grazing it, and possibly disturbing some of the occupants. Victor reduced the throttle, and as the dark began to completely envelop them, he would turn on a spotlight which appeared to be in good order, he was delighted that the light had a good fifty yard beam, one he could easily work with. As the daylight would subside into night, Victor slapped at mosquitos a few times, before grabbing a mosquito net out of his bag, and putting it over the door to the pilothouse, using pieces of duct tape to secure it. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, before leaning back against the pilot's chair, and continuing to steer the boat gently and deftly amongst the snags and fallen trees, looking at the map as he did so, and checking his global positioning system every so often, which he had strapped to the wall next to himself. The river seemed eerie, the spotlight casting a spooky glow over the leaning trees around them, some sticking branches out of the water, appearing to be arms reaching from the abyss of the dark water around them, that might hold any number of deadly concoctions. He sighed, as he looked into the cracked mirror, to see what those in the passenger compartment had busied themselves with as the early evening hours wore on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iKrolm Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Guy lay in a hammock near the stern of the boat, watching the scenery slowly pass by as the sun went down. He'd stowed all of his gear down below earlier, and had only a pair of binoculars with him now that he held up to his eyes every so often, peering shore for signs of wildlife. Birds came by the dozen, flying low across the water in search of insects or fish, and he'd seen a few snakes in the river but the mammals eluded him. Though several monkeys were audible as the shadows lengthened across the water, he'd seen none all afternoon--perhaps the noise of the boat scared them away from the river banks. Soon it'd be too dark to see the shore, but there was always tomorrow and at this pace it was turning out to be a nice relaxed trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Enema Posted December 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) [b]Site 1[/b] "Ambush them, NOW!" "Si senor!" [i]20 minutes later..[/i] Five men holding hunting rifles take aim at the riverboat as it chugs its way up the tributary. Spotting it isn't hard as the boat is light up with gas lamps and other electric lights. The leader of the group whistles softly and five rifle shots ring out. The men were ordered to fire at the waterline of the riverboat and deliberately avoid aiming at the people on the boat. The small group's leader while somewhat fearful of his employer is more worried about the attention brought by a police investigation. None the less, five 7.62x39 rifle shots crack out towards the waterline of the ship in an attempt to encourage the foreigners to turn around and return the way they came. Edited December 24, 2011 by Tidy Bowl Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Timmy Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) Matches sat in the passengers compartment checking all of his equipment was in order. The heat and humidity would be a new challenge for his electronics but he had no doubt they would not fail him seeing how they never had before. From night vision and communications to infrared motion detectors and laser pointers he tested every single piece of equipment to ensure it was working before he set foot on shore. After checking these he set about ensuring each knife was as sharp as was possible, each stroke of the sharpening showed just how good we was at it. With a swift and seemingly effortless fling a knife left his hand and hit the wall opposite. The spider that had been slowly making it's way down the wall had been dealt with, one less to worry about. Although he wasn't truly scared scared of them, he much preferred them being under a knife or a boot than his shirt. The right corner of his mouth rose slightly as he pulled the knife out of the wall. Upon sitting down again he went over the maps again and again, trying to figure out what the hell to do upon reaching land again. He had a vague plan in his head but until he could see the path they would trek along with his own two eyes it would remain vague, with room for improvisation. The news of possible hostiles in the area was not a pleasing one but not unexpected. They could, however, turn out to be the least of his worries going by the amount of weaponry that was aboard. He would be keeping a keen eye on the others in the boat to ensure he was not caught by surprise. Then the shots rang out. Matches immediately drew his pistol and went up the steps to the deck. "What the hell happened?!?" He shouted to those who had been above during the shots, whilst keeping himself low. Edited December 24, 2011 by King Timmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus Wilding Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Christoforo had been sleeping, trying to take his mind off the absolute dullness of this journey. The only female had been swarmed by the rest of the chucklenuts, and every trigger-happy nutjob was probably ready to do anything for her. Thankfully, Christoforo's hair helped keep some sweat off his neck and acted sort of like a shemagh or keffiyeh. Then the shooting started. On instinct, Christoforo pulled his revolver out and got low, asking the air where the %*$& the fire was coming from. Hanging around and being shot by Brotherhood's Fist soldiers tends to make you a bit...jumpy, to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowsage Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Even before the Exar was fully awake, he rolled out of bed and pressed himself against the floor at the sound of gunfire. While his conscious mind was still spinning up, Azazoth crawled forward a foot and snatched the rifle from where it sat, leaning against the wall next to the headboard of the bed. He checked the clip to ensure the rounds were seated correctly and slammed it into the receiver, working the bolt until a satisfying click indicated the weapon was ready to rock. In a low crouch, the man left his room and surveyed the hallway beyond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShammySocialist Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Victor's eyes had begun to get heavy as he continued to skillfully navigate the boat upriver, having decreased speed as the night began to settle in. He almost felt like he was dozing off when, the first shots rang out, and he yelped, and dived to the ground, unaccustomed, of course, to being shot at. He breathed heavily, as he felt the small reverberations off the hull of the boat when the bullets struck it. His hand was steady on the wheel, gripping it tightly, but of course, being on the floor, he couldn't see or steer the boat correctly, his breaths were coming out in pants as he felt like he was going to hyperventilate, and he froze for at least a good minute, before finally regaining his composure, his adrenaline kicking in. Instead of standing back up, he yelled out, "Gunshots! Left side! Left side!" He grabbed the throttle, and pushed it forward hard, feeling the boat's engines kick into full gear, and he leaned up, and rotated the cracked mirror above him, so he could see upriver. His eyes flicked back and forth between the mirror and the fathometer, as the boat roared forward. The boat could certainly make better time then anyone on shore could in these jungles, it was too thick for fast movement, unless there was a road running parallel to the river, which didn't appear on the map. He crouched up, and peeked over the gunwale as the boat continued further upriver at a fast pace. "Douse the lights! Douse all lights but the spotlight!" he yelled, hoping to make them a harder target, his mind was working overdrive, now that the drowsiness had been ripped from his consciousness. "Someone check for leaks down below!" The boat jolted, as it caught on some branches from a tree leaning over the water, and Victor turned the wheel hard right, the boat pulling free as quickly as it became ensnared, his instincts that had served him well since the age of five, when his father first started letting him steer their families' shrimp boat, kicking in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Enema Posted December 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 [b]Ambush Party[/b] "They aren't turning back senor," the leader of the team whispers into his small radio. "Give them a reason to turn back!" the radio rasps back. "Si Senor," the leader replies as he motions to his assistant who takes shoulders a venerable 40mm M-79 Grenade Launcher. "Shoot ahead of the boat. Try to hit the front of it, maybe the stupid gringos will go back." "Si," the gunner responds as he sights, squeezes the trigger, and fires the launcher with a satisfying bloop. The road moans into the night and hits the water about 10 feet in front of the riverboat. For good effect three of the five men take aimed shots at Matches Malone though he seems to be concealed more or less behind whatever cover it is he's found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggressivenutmeg Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Lokir was asleep in a hammock strung up on the deck when the first wave of gunshots were fired. Tumbling out of the hammok and onto the dack he scrabbled for cover behind the pilot house. Putting his Pith helmet on and drawing his pistol, he risked a peack around the pilot house as a grenade exploded in the river nearby. His heart was racing as he noticed some of the expaditionaries came up from below deck. "Were are the shots coming from?" He asked, not even sure why he wanted to know or wht he would do with the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owned-You Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) Francisco instinctively threw himself down to the ground lying near parallel with the floor as the shots rang across the ship. It seemed to happen so fast a near blur in his mind he could barely recall the moments he heard the first shots and where they came from. As he stood up recomposing himself his heart was pounding, adrenaline already coursing through his veins he was no longer here searching for treasure... in his mind all of his worst fears and premonitions had been confirmed by the gunshots. 30 seconds later as the boat shot through the river at full speed he stood up and muttered to himself "!@#$ just got real." before without warning ahead of the boat water blasted upward sending water everywhere conversely the sounds of gunshots ring out in the dark cold air once again. Clearly this trip would be more then an archaeology expedition for some riches and suddenly the cadre of armed men aboard the ship were suddenly seeming all the more valuable. Francisco would rush below deck and search room to room hoping there were armaments stashed somewhere aboard the vessel as his hunting revolver would be near useless at long ranges. At this point though he was not thinking rather acting instinctively without any fear or hesitation in his actions... clearly years of breeding for leadership and experience in the hunting-fields had paid off to a degree giving him a composure in perilous situations. Edited December 24, 2011 by Owned-You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tintagyl Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 After awhile the horde of men that had come to surround Professor Belnedes finally began to wear off as they turned in for afternoon naps. Sonia couldn't have been more pleased, not that she didn't enjoy the conversation, she had never been used to being the center of attention, especially with other men. With a sigh of relief, the snoring echoing throughout the boat meant that she could get back to her studies before they reached the archeological site. One tribe in particular fascinated Sonia's studies for their writings depicted a holy site directly up the Rio Negro where the boat was heading. This worried her because the site was supposed to be the home of an ancient river god that the local tribes worshiped and the idea of removing anything under the ever-watchful eyes of the natives was extremely dangerous. The Professor had heard her fair share of stories of head hunters and other shadows that went bump in the night so as the afternoon faded into the evening and her eyes began to grow heavy, Sonia pushed herself up and made her way to the pilot house. Careful not to step on any of the junk littering the floor, she pushed herself towards where Victor stood driving the boat. "Victor how's things going on this e-" But before Sonia could finish her sentence the shore of the river lit up in a flash of gunfire that sprayed the bottom of the boat. The moment it happened, Sonia jumped down to the ground and covered her head. Not shocking was that every other gunslinger that was on board was ready to fight back against the unknown enemy, but would any of them kill the lights when Victor yelled? Not a chance. Crawling over towards the side of the boat, Sonia pushed her head up as she screamed nearly every time she broke one of the gas lamps off its hanger and it dropped down into the water. In twenty seconds or less, she had pushed most of the gas lamps off the side and yelled back at Victor. "Pull the power to the electric outlet!" If he did that, the boat would blend into the darkness of the night, that is, unless the gunslingers decided to continue putting up a fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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