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Grace After daydreaming about the Nazi spoor, she returns to the present with a nod. "Anywhere but here, sir," Grace murmurs in response to their marching orders. The MI6 agent idly confirms the presence of the pistol at her hip.
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Sep 29, 2016 21:33
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Bradley Hewitt "Don't baby Mr. Taylor. He got a little wet that's all. When we start walking, he will dry out soon enough." He then turns to Sebastian. "Get the water out and pack up, we need to move." Sergeant Barton-Morewood might be in charge of the operation, but Bradley still saw it as his duty to keep his boat of experts in line. As long as he drew breath he was not going to let any of them be a detriment to the mission. Even if it meant he had to drag one of them along the ground. Looking towards the soldier in charge, he tells him. "Sounds good Sergeant. We'll keep our distance and follow afte ryou."
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Sep 29, 2016 21:47
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Izoldah Rostov "As you say, comrade sergeant. I'll move ahead a bit. If you see me come back and make this signal" Hah, well, if the Brit was going to call her 'my lady' she was going to call him 'comrade', that was only fair. She gestured with her hand. "Please stop and be quiet. I signal how many nazis come down and we prepare for ambush." And then she moved. And it was like coming home in a way. After all the time on the ship, and on the little dinghy, she was very much like a fish out of water, but right now, right here, this was her home. Oh, it was entirely different than the Urals, but even if the cards were different, the game was the same. Keep to shadows. Be aware of where your feet are. Be aware of all the angles. Keep your body supple and relaxed and your motion constant, without sudden stops and jolts. The wind was her ally, muffling sound and blowing away from her. And in case the fascists had guard dogs, her smell would be hidden from them as well. Calmly but steadily, as if she was just doing a training run she made her way up, seeing desolate black ground, jagged rocks to slice at the flesh of the unwary. The wind bit at her face, but she had gotten far worse in the past. A spectre is haunting Saxemberg Island.
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Sep 29, 2016 21:47
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Saxemberg Island - Northern Mantle 01:37 Ambience Advancing well ahead of her fellows, Izoldah makes her way in a swift, silent ascent of the gentle slope leading further along the island's northern shore. Scarcely making a sound as she moves with well-honed care, Izoldah makes for a veritable spectre indeed on the star-lit mantle, treading lightly over and among volcanic rocks and ancient terrain. Between the steady crash of waves upon those jagged shores below and the howl of a biting gale sweeping out to sea, the elements are on the scout's side--well-hidden as she proceeds. Keeping her senses aprises and her eyes sharp, Izoldah is ever watchful for armed opposition. Once past the precipice of the beach, she finds subtler signs than most might notice: where the others might consider slopes and cliffs sculpted with erosion alone, it is clear to the woman of the Urals that some modicum of engineering contributed to a more walkable path. Intent on her attention discerning enemies among the phantom isle for her compatriots, Izoldah's perceptive reconnaissance is rewarded... ...but not with the discovery of a patrol, or sentry, or soldier of any sort. In the process of using the lay of the terrain herself, taking a route that best hides her own form--Izoldah stumbles upon a recess in the hillside which would be hidden to most passerby. Certainly, coastal or aerial surveillance would not discover such a niche: but for Izoldah, her proximity proves serendipitous. Concealed in a shallow depression in the hillside is a large steel hatch secured by a wheel; it appears to be badly corroded from the Atlantic's salty winds--while its partly camouflaged base seems to sink into the stone of Saxemberg's body beneath it. ~~~~ Izoldah totally rocked her rolls here--blowing away her Stealth test with a hit and two raises and powering through.
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Sep 29, 2016 21:57
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Izoldah Rostov No fascists. Which was good. Unlike some of the others, she wasn't out for a body count. And the longer things were absolutely quiet, the better. That's when she came on her discovery. Very, very nice. But also, not osmething she should be trying to open without some back up. There might very well be guards around. Making sure there were no guards approaching down the path, she descended, smothering the urge to hurry and without a word, beckoned the 'first boat' closer, leading them towards that entrance. Her job was to find it, what needed to be done with it afterwards was the leader's task.
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Sep 29, 2016 22:05
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Grace She purses her lips and squints at the discovery. A few steps are made before she processes that only the forward group was beckoned. Grace makes a face but stays put for now!
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Sep 29, 2016 22:16
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Ronnie He crept along with the rest of the first group, scanning to the sides often, keeping close to whatever cover there was. The night was on their side so far, and S/Sgt. Thomas was more than satisfied with that for now. Why, it will be the easiest thing to set an ambush in these conditions, soon as we find 'em. Won't raise any alarm until well after they're late, and- Ronnie stops in his tracks as Izoldah calls them up, holding up a fist as he processes what they're being told. Turning around, he points to the second group, motioning to them with military precision that something was found and to stay low. Soon enough he rolls quietly up to where the scout has found the hatch. "Could have something," he whispers. "Tunnels?"
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Sep 29, 2016 22:19
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Harry He checks his ammo, checks his rifle, shoulders, it, adjusts his belt, and nods at the word that they'd be taking the easy road. Well enough. "Eye-ties, Japs, Krauts. They all bleed red on the inside." He sucks his cheek thoughtfully, eyes on the ground as he moves cautiously, crouched over the treacherous terrain. Kind of reminded him of Rangitoto, a little. He keeps an eye out for lava tubes, and any that might hide within. Then their little Russkie scout comes back with news of... something? He glances around cautiously, nods, and follows, rifle at the ready. But what meets the eye isn't the enemy but rather a big steel wheel. He grunts, shouldering his rifle and spitting on his hands. "Half a mo." Gripping the wheel, he shrugs his shoulders and takes a deep breath, centering himself over his feet. Then with a grunt and a heave his shoulders and back bulge beneath his damp shirt and after a vibrating moment of steel versus muscle, the wheel is what gives way. <Gaist> Here is a roll on Oracle's behalf for Harry to kick off the strength check <Gaist> !wild d8-4 * AchtungBot rolled a (1d8-4) with wild die for Gaist and got ( -1 1 ) Results: 1 <Gaist> LOL <Docbubonic_away> Chekov's explosives <Gaist> Oracle is guaranteed to demand spending a benny there so <Gaist> !wild d8-4 * AchtungBot rolled a (1d8-4) with wild die for Gaist and got ( 9 -1 ) Results: 9 <Gaist> welp <Gaist> Harry doesn't need assistance <Gaist> He's a freak <Razeam> so strong <Gaist> that's a strength roll of 13 before the penalty Oracle fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 29, 2016 22:37
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Saxemberg Island - Northern Mantle 01:43 Ambience Doubling back to signal the strike team onward, Izoldah rendezvous with Sgt. Barton-Morewood and the others, helping to guid them up the mantle to where she discovered the hatch. As heavily corroded as the wheel to access the hidden cap was, it swiftly seemed evident more than a bit of muscle would be required to force it open--if not outright demolitions, should it come to it. LCpl Manahi, however, squares off before the concrete-set hatch to clap a steely grip about the wheel and perform a remarkable demonstration of strength as he turns. With marked effort and a bulge of muscle, Harry forces the hatch's wheel to work once more as the mechanism within loosens and opens, a sharp creak of protest heard with the action's movement. Thankfully, it seems the winds and waves serve to mask the sound--and after a momentary pause preparing for a reaction, the team finds the vicinity still undisturbed. Lifting the hatch up and aside on heavy, creaking hinges--Harry reveals what lies beneath for those gathered to observe as a cloud of fetid air rises up from the dark portal below, stinking of stale air and other less discernible aromas. A shaft descends into the rock, set with concrete--with lights mounted on one wall on the way down. The first few rungs of a metal ladder set into another wall are visible, but beyond such the shaft is pitch black, its lights unlit. It is difficult to discern how far down the shaft descends, but eminently clear that it must lead to whatever facility has been hidden on--or rather, beneath--Saxemberg Island. ~~~~ Well then. The hatch was a Strength (-4) test due to being corroded heavily, which would ordinarily be a prime candidate for a Cooperative Roll--since for Strength in particular, the bonuses from multiple characters pitching in can exceed the normal cap of +4. However, Harry is a big ole' beast and knocked it out of the park single-handedly (once he spent a Benny to re-roll his initial -1 & 1 pairing, but let's pretend that didn't happen.) It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
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Sep 29, 2016 22:40
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Ronnie Well, there isn't much more to say about that than: "Christ. Good work." He'd have expected with that level of being busted that they'd have needed at least two or three for the hatch, but Ronnie isn't going to complain there. He suppresses a would-be cough from the stale air in the hatch and waves up the second group before looking into the darkness. "Lights?" He asks the team as a whole. Would be hard to find anything down there otherwise...
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Sep 29, 2016 22:55
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 Starshiy Leytenant Irakliy Kuznetsov"Bozhemoi. Remind me not to get on your bad side." Irakliy fishes out his cigarettes and, right next to them, his lighter. After taking a moment to light a smoke, he holds the lighter up, scanning around inside the recess for a switch or, possibly, some lanterns or hand-lights. [17:29] <Redeye> !wild d8 [17:29] * AchtungBot rolled a (1d8) with wild die for Redeye and got ( 14 4 ) Results: 14 [17:29] <Redeye> Well holy poo poo [17:29] <Gaist> hahaha Irakliy grins around his cigarette as the lighter illuminates a cabinet labeled Sicherheitsausrüstung. Prising it open, he finds just what he was looking for--four of the boxy German flashlights. Keeping one for himself, he passes one to Izoldah and the other two to the group, to pass out as needed. "I vote we use these until we make sure there's no-one at the bottom. Then we can turn on wall-lights and bring down other boat." Redeye Flight fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Sep 29, 2016 |
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Sep 29, 2016 23:30
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Sebastian He packed his things back up and took a moment to dry his revolver out and make sure the ammo in it was good. He did not want to be stuck in a fire fight with no fire. he snorted slightly at that comment to not baby him. He was not looking to be babied "Ah I have six more just like it I had made just for this trip.." he breathed He kept pace with the rest of the civilians even perhaps lagging behind some. He was cold and a bit slow and it felt like a chore just to lift his legs. He wouldn't complain about it tho if the GI already thought he was trying to be babied his pride would not let him. So he just trucked on with the other ''nerds'
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Sep 29, 2016 23:35
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Sgt. Willis Amiably enough, he keeps quiet on the way around the path. Passing judgment on tactical options was not his Job, and he would be goddamned if he told an infantryman how to fight and a scout how to scout. Instead, he just moves along keeping an eye out and moving with as much care as seemed prudent- which was a lot, the engineer near the back of the first group. On seeing how corroded the hatch was, the engineer was halfway through figuring how many of his precious charges were going to be needed to blow open their ingress when the bulky sailor- was he a sailor? Tim forgot- just wrenched the blasted thing open with his muscles. Giving him a nod and not wasting breath, he moves in and peers into the darkness before a light goes on. Cozy. Bringing his submachinegun up, he murmurs, "Close the hatch behind us. Patrols may check." Another long pause. "Could set a booby trap." Mukaikubo fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 00:13
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Grace There's a barely subdued spring in her step as she moves closer to the main force. Grace wrinkles her nose upon examining the opened hatch at a closer proximity. "Isn't this strange? It's like they forgot about it," she thinks out loud, trying her best not to crowd the entrance. At Sgt. Willis's suggestion, she frowns and then opens her mouth as if to protest before closing it into a pout.
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Sep 30, 2016 00:20
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Ronnie "Lights," Ronnie says, nodding happily. Well, one problem solved. "I'll take one," he says after a moment's consideration. If anyone was down there, wearing a light would be a target, but it would also give some of the others the element of surprise if they went down there without one. He clips it on, and takes a second to fix bayonet as well. Likely it would be close quarters down there, so having both options would be nice. He looks to the side, over to Grace, and shrugs. "Might not use it much. We did take the long way." To Ted, he nods. "Could. In case they check. Hell of a lot of noise, though."
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Sep 30, 2016 00:30
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Sebastian Trudged up to the hatch that lead down into that dark abyss.. "Well this looks lovely. Pass one of those flashlights back to us keeping up the rear if you wouldn't mind" He shifted some to get a good look down the pitch black hatch that lead down into the island it's self. At least he would be out of the elements down here but he had a feeling that it would not be much warmer. He fell back some with Bradly and Grace his hands stuffed into his pockets. He was miserable and was kin to get this over with and get into some dry socks and a dry coat at least.
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Sep 30, 2016 01:03
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 Victoire Doucet, Maquisarde Medic"I'll be right behind you." Victoire whispers in Ronnie's ear. She cocks her shotgun, ready to move through the tunnels with her muzzle beside his head, ready to blast anyone who'd have the misfortune to meet the group.
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Sep 30, 2016 01:33
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Bradley Hewitt "Let the soldiers take point." He said to his group. "When they know the way is clear, then we can follow them. Until then, try to think warm thoughts."
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Sep 30, 2016 01:46
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Harry He nods, wringing his hands a bit then rubbing them as he watches the Russian find the flashlights. Upon seeing Ronnie fix bayonet, he smiles, a predatory gleam in the darkness, and claps him on the shoulder. He liked this guy. "Good on ya, mate. One two. Hand signals only, yeah?" He makes sure they're on the same page signal-wise. Shouldn't be too different; it wasn't like they were trying to keep their meaning secret, just silent. He fixes his own bayonet, looking at the others soberly. "Alright, we'll knock twice when its safe. Give us no more than fifteen minutes. If we're not back assume we've carked it blow the hatch and off ya go back to the boats. Too drat close to the end of the bloody war for us all to pack a sad." Apparently Harry wasn't one to stand on ceremony of having the governor's blessing before acting in the field. Probably all that time going commando in the jungle. He swings his legs over the edge, glancing down as he finds his footing on the rungs before the rest of his body follows, and assuming the ladder's not electrified or what, starts his way down, one step at a time, keeping his gaze on the darkness below.
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Sep 30, 2016 04:09
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Ronnie He doesn't speak in reply, because that, of course, would be counter to the whole idea of signals only. Instead: thumbs-up, one finger, two, a lowered, flat hand for down, the 'stop' raised fist, the knife-hand like 'advance'. He nods to Harry to start down, then to Izoldah, Irakliy and Victoire, who all seemed intent on going down as well. Switching on the German-built light, he smiles to the rest, nods to Sgt. Barton-Morewood without waiting for permission, and heads down the ladder once Harry has gotten far enough down to not risk running into each other.
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Sep 30, 2016 04:22
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Izoldah Izoldah held back as the place was revealed by the frankly ridiculous feat of strength, keeping her eye on the path ahead in case someone was going to come in. The place clearly hadn't been opened in a long time. Could be an emergency exit. But the facists s usually weren't the type to let something just waste away like that. Could just be where they'd stocked something up? Well, clearly, they'd find out. The Lt. lighting up a smoke drew her attention. Moving next to him, she kept her voice low and her words Russian. She didn't want to embarrass him, but if there was one habit that was just lethal to moving unseen, it was smoking. It left tracks, the light could be seen, it could be smelled. "Sergeant, do you think smoking now is wise?" she asked briefly. "It might give us away at the worst time." She figured a tank commander wasn't usually the one with stealth on his mind. And they probably couldn't smoke in their tanks, so 'on foot' probably meant 'smoking time' to them. She took position to the back of the group. Her rifle wasn't likely to be of help in hallways like that. So she switched to holding her pistol in her right hand, and the flashlight in her left. No sneaking around like that, but at least she'd be able to get a good look at things. Shogeton fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 04:30
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Saxemberg Island - ??? Base 01:48 Ambience Mounting the ladder, LCpl Mahani is the first to descend without further adieu--the steady dull shift of weight moving down concrete-set rungs into the darkness below. S/Sgt. Thomas follows next, before Izoldah and Victoire in turn. Steadily, the sounds of winds and waves grow more muted and distant--the confines of the concrete shaft rigid throughout the descent. Thirty feet in all, Harry is first off the ladder in a squared off chamber left in the darkness for a few lingering moments. Once Ronnie and Izoldah join him in turn, lights are swept about to discern the chamber's immediate vicinity as empty. Ahead, two steel blast doors are set within the wall; each has an armored glass porthole--though through them, nothing can be seen in the darkness beyond. The doors appear upon cursory inspection to be sealed, with no evidence of an external access panel to open them. There is however a small green box set against the wall, which Victoire is able to recognize as a call box; inside is a telephone receiver, but when lifted there is no tone on the line. Further checking the chamber, there does not appear to be a light switch as Irakliy anticipated. Having the flashlights makes this a bit better than working in Pitch Darkness, but it's not a huge improvement; still, the chamber is approximately fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet long. There is a small oil stain on the floor. There is a small chance you may be eaten by a grue. GaistHeidegger fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 05:12
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Harry His eyes narrow as they sweep the room, rifle at waist height and moving with his eyes. The emptiness, small area and blast doors make him feel a bit trapped, and he holds a fist up to keep the final two on the ladder until he makes sure they're not all going to be gassed by whatever's behind the door. Whatever it is, it does not appear to have been accessed for some time, and he's getting the distinct feeling this may be a wild goose chase. Of course the Germans could be clever sorts and make their hidden base look abandoned just in case, but... He shakes his head, pursing his lips, and moves over to inspect the oil stain, looking up to see what may have made it.
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Sep 30, 2016 05:16
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Bradley Hewitt As the strike team went down into the mysterious dark hole, Bradley signaled for his team to move up. Bradley moves up to the hatch and kneels down. Looking down into the hole, he waited to see how the strike team was doing.
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Sep 30, 2016 05:22
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Ronnie For his part, S/Sgt. Thomas is a bit less than thrilled - not so much just that there is another barrier, but the implication of the level of security even for a remote island that is almost certainly as close to the middle of nowhere as anyone could ever classify any spot of dry land. With careful steps he walks over towards the blast doors, examines them from off to the side, looking for some way to perhaps open them or force them open from the outside. Even despite his instincts to guess it was likely futile, he owed it to everyone to be sure before he recommended more drastic options.
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Sep 30, 2016 05:27
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Saxemberg Island - ??? Base 01:50 Ambience Casting a wary look above, Harry finds no evidence of a source for the oil--suggesting it might have been spilled in passing by something instead. Over by the blast doors, S/Sgt. Thomas endeavors to further inspect and assess the barriers, concluding afterward that they were not entirely dissimilar to the likes he had faced in the Mediterranean and other theatres. It was likely entry could be gained with cutting equipment and torches--or barring that, the strategic application of demolitions gear such as explosive charges might be capable of breaching the doors.
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Sep 30, 2016 05:36
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Harry He touches his fingers to the spot and sniffs, frowning, then looks around on the ground. "Machine oil. Not fresh. No tracks... this is odd." He straightens, still holding his rifle loosely at the ready, watching as Ronnie inspects the door, then moving along the walls, looking for... well anything really. An access panel, wires, anything to indicate some way of breaching this that isn't the dead drat phone. Rolled tracking ***AchtungBot rolled a (1d6+2) with wild die for Oracle and got ( 4 12 ) Results: 12 Oracle fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 05:48
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Saxemberg Island - ??? Base drat near missing it, Harry's intense scrutiny finds the barest hints of tracks after all--a few errant nearly gone remnants of boot prints, due to the machine oil--suggesting mostly traffic headed in through the passageway ahead. Otherwise, nothing seems to be in the chamber.
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Sep 30, 2016 05:55
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Harry "Hold on a tick," he says, crouching back down and giving the oil another look, then standing again to look at it at just the right angle that first clued him in that something was here. "Boot prints, yeah. Going in. Not comin' out. Old though. Few days at least." He shakes his head. "Someone was gettin' in here. Maybe a shortcut after a patrol?" He glances at Ronnie, consternated. "Nothing like this in Borneo, tell you what. Krauts sure like to build complicated shite in the middle of nowhere."
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Sep 30, 2016 05:59
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Starshiy Leytenant Irakliy KuznetsovShogeton posted:Izoldah Irakliy offers a shrug, about to suggest that the flashlights and bootprints would be more likely to give them away-- quote:pressed against the log wall, and suddenly the sound of it sniffing, smelling for blood and hot breath and He blanches, and has to force himself to not wrench the cigarette out of his mouth. As the rest of the crew starts down the ladder, he looks down at it sadly. "I suppose." He still waits at the top, dragging on it as long as he can before he follows the rest of the group down. = = = Irakliy climbs off the ladder and sighs, watching the crew move about. "Of course there is second door. Is not enough to have base on mystery island or behind just one hatch. Damned Nazis." He walks over to the call box, stepping well around Harry's patch on the way to make sure he doesn't disturb anything and keeping his voice low. "Well, it appears I was wrong. Everything appears remotely triggered... not that a dead line will even let us bluff our way in." He takes a peek at the call box, anyway, to see what he can see. [00:25] <Redeye> God knows if it'll do anything to a dead box but I'm going to roll K:Comm [00:26] <Redeye> !wild d6 [00:26] * AchtungBot rolled a (1d6) with wild die for Redeye and got ( 2 4 ) Results: 4 Redeye Flight fucked around with this message at 06:31 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 06:25
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Ronnie So much for silence - but then, there was no reason left for it. No Nazis and no way in. They could start bashing on the walls and probably not alert a single one of the bastards to their presence. Ronnie wished he could simply tear the doors down, but unlike the hatch he was pretty sure even half of them at all angles couldn't pull these doors down. He keeps his voice low even then. "Sealed. You say not used in a few days. They stopped using this entrance then." He looks up towards the ladder. "Find a way to open it, or blow it up - or find a better way in. Think the others deserve a look before anyone decides." He looks to the Lieutenant though, and keeps his position next to the door, in case. "Worth a try," he whispers.
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Sep 30, 2016 06:29
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Saxemberg Island - ??? Base Silence. Lifting the receiver himself, Irakliy discovers the same thing the others had found: no tone or signal, and like as not either no power--or issues with such. It seems apparent that the blast doors as they presently stand are inoperable; for their intended purposes, they appear quite functional at present, however. Gradually, after assessment and time, further expertise is brought to bear once individuals begin to ascend the ladder once more. Discussions would be required--and decisions would need to be made. Beyond the northern mantle of the island, waves continue their relentless assault upon its shores--cold Atlantic winds biting against those gathered as they linger on the surface. For brevity's sake, it will quickly enough become apparent at least here that there is currently no power reaching the blast doors and they are unlikely to budge. It can be deduced that the call box would ordinarily contact someone from within to open the doors, but there is no signal and seemingly no power--not to mention that it appears that no one is presently attending the entrance from the other side. Shining lights through the portholes is largely fruitless, since they throw back most of the light rather than penetrating. With more time, it becomes clear that the most recent tracks in the vicinity of the hatch prior to your own are days old at the earliest. Ultimately, your options are either attempting to breach the blast doors by force or seeking another way into the underground base on the island. It is approximately four hours to sunrise now.
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Sep 30, 2016 07:24
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Izoldah "I don't think this is going to get us into their base." Izoldah said. "But it doesn't seem like it'll let them attack us in the back either. Perhaps we look at this after we finish taking care of the fascists." The scout offered.
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Sep 30, 2016 08:39
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Richard 'Dicky' Barton-Morewood He keeps to his own orders and remains quiet through their march across the shoreline, hearing only the soft crunch of their footsteps and the waves beating against the shore. At the discovery of the hidden hatch leading into the island he only utters an impressed snort as Arapeta brute forces their way in. The interior is hardly his ideal location, more so used is he to the open areas of the near-unending skies. No resistance is given on his end as the group descend the discovered ladder further into the tunnel depths. He merely crouches down by the hole with fellow Brit Bradley and awaits the word from below. He waits for some time at the top, hearing the dull sound of conversation below but no word being passed up as to the situation. Before long, impatience gets the better of him. If he is to be leading this party, he may as well go down and look to what is happening. "Bugger it. Wait here, old bean," he says to Bradley. "No booby traps on that door either, Sergeant. We might need it if this proves a dead end." He steps down the ladder himself then, joining the other group at the steel blast doors just as S.Sgt Thomas sums up the situation. "Sealed, eh?" he whispers. "Well we're not blowing anything up and announcing ourselves this early on. Could bring the whole bloody tunnel down on us too." He watches Kuznetsov seem to have no luck with what he tries either. With how abandoned this section looks, it's all too possible that more doors are sealed beyond these ones too. "If there's no getting past here quietly, then let's poke around for another entrance first. Right, quickly now, back up top." He climbs back up the ladder and fills the others in up top. "Steel blast doors below. Sealed and no way in aside from explosives which we aren't risking just yet. We'll look for another way in on the island first. If we find nothing, we come back here and do it the loud way." A Velociraptor! fucked around with this message at 09:25 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 09:13
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Yulia As they lurked in wait outside the hatch, waiting on the soldiers to return with news, the good doctor had taken her revolver from the holster - checking the firearm for probably the thousandth time since it had been issued. Slick with sea spray, she'd imagine. Shouldn't be enough to effect the mechanism, right? She eyes it thoughtfully, studying it as though she might find some new facet that she hadn't noticed yet. But it is as it ever was - a durable Soviet issue weapon, reliable if nothing else. The Evenk looks up to the rest of the academics, almost driven to conversation in spite of their circumstances. Loose talk seems... inappropriate in the context but at the same time. The British Sergeant spares her from this, emerging from the hatch with news. So no harm, but neither had they made progress. Waiting until at least Rostov and Kuznetsov have returned to the surface, Yulia does speak up, querying the emerging soldiers, "What is this entrance with these heavy doors?" Asking why people have built the things they did is a part of archaeology - this is not that, but it still prompts her to question the Nazi construction.
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Sep 30, 2016 13:39
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Saxemberg Island - Interior 02:39 Ambience Once Sgt. Barton-Morewood hands down the decision to seek another avenue of access, the rest of the strike team emerges from the shaft beneath the hatch, regrouping topside with the others. From here, it falls to the matter of navigating the remainder of Saxemberg Island by way of reconnaissance--a process for which Izoldah is once more well-suited, now returned to the open, salty sea air. Setting out first to reconnoiter for any further potential tracks, Izoldah's keen eyes scour the vicinity; faint evidence of passage down to the beach whence the team came still remains (along with the more fresh tracks of their own traversal) as well as the opposite length of the coast along the northern mantle. Having lingered among the chilly winds in the meantime, the cold has begun to penetrate against Sebastian more than the others, still damp from his tumble into the Atlantic; though the man has been beset by intermittent shivering, he nevertheless manages to keep a stiff upper lip in spite of the conditions. For everyone, save for Dr. Khulanova, the cold lingers, bites and clings; with more than an hour having passed since making landfall now, the lengthy tenure of adrenaline and anxious energies have set many nerves more keenly on edge. Following first the perimeter in pursuit of another form of egress, Izoldah makes her way westward after that second trail of boot prints, presumably left by some manner of patrol; much as the others, they are days old it seems, winding among the intermittent protrusion of volcanic rock as they wind nearer to the interior of the island. A river of sorts is discovered midway into the mass after a stretch of hiking--as well as a rocky precipice elevated enough to lend the scout a better vantage. From such, a possible foot trail is spied sweeping southward back around--and doubling back, prints from more than a week ago are found. In their anxious idleness, the academics of the team are left at length an opportunity for quiet conversation--or barring that, contemplation. Collectively, it is gradually clear to the team that Saxemberg must be a kilometer long and roughly half a kilometer at its widest center. Further, mindful of the relative placement of the hatch and the direction of the passage beneath it, a rough perimeter might be construed in the pursuit of another entrance--but there's no telling just how much of the phantom island's underbelly has served as host to Nazi secrecy. After nearly an hour of little success in finding an entrance proper, Izoldah is instead able to spot another discovery in its stead: approximately one hundred and twenty feet south from the hatch entrance, is a small access shaft concealed among the rocks. Alerting the team to its presence, closer inspection finds what appears to be an air circulation duct for the base below--it's camouflaged vent even easier for Harry to pry open than the heavily corroded hatch had been. Within, the shaft appears just barely wide enough for a person to crawl down--leading off into pitch darkness below. Given how stale the air smells, it seems clear this shaft has not served its purpose for several days at least. ~~~~ Back to the surface we go. With time passing while Sebastian has remained wet and cold, it eventually called for a Vigor test to avoid gaining Fatigue (Fatigue is essentially 'non-lethal' Wounds, generally speaking--and usually has specific parameters to recover, whether that's time, warming up, etc.) As this is a pretty automatic roll, I made it on Animedragonfly's behalf and Sebastian passed--so no current consequences to his soggy state besides discomfort. A number of folks noted preparing to be gone for the weekend, so in the interests of trying to give the lot of you a chance to get to further opportunity, I've gone through the tests along the way for additional scouting--which Izoldah passed consistently throughout. After leg work and twelve sets of eyes and ears pitching in--along with spending almost an hour hiking around the cold, dark volcanic island--you've discovered a ventilation shaft that seems to lead down to another portion of the same underground location. Near as you are able to conclude from the information available and the topography of the island, these are your two present options for entry barring spending several mores hours combing the entirety of the island's surface. Any given one of you can attempt to climb down the ventilation shaft if you so desire, but you know from the shaft it's probably at least a 30' descent if not more. From the stale air in the ventilation shaft, coupled with the collection of very brainy people we have in the group, it's reasonable to conclude that it has been days since whatever's down there has been turned on. It's possible the Germans are being environmentally conscious and saving electricity.
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Sep 30, 2016 14:42
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Harry They tramp and search, moving silently, but to the big Maori, the island feels dead. Nothing growing, nothing living, no signs of life not half a fortnight old. He relaxes by degrees as the more they find the less is revealed. Finally, then spy the nonworking air shaft and after removing the vent cover and leaning over to have a squiz, he shakes his head and steps back, shouldering his rifle. "Either they've carked it or they've scarpered, ladies and gents. If they are belowdecks they're out of air as of a few days ago from the looks of it; this thing's puckeroo." He looks up at the sky, judging how many hours before dawn. "End of the war, they may have just piked out and buggered off."
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Sep 30, 2016 15:29
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Victoire Doucet, Maquisarde Medic "Either zat or zere are other vents we did not find." She moves up to the vent and peers down. "It doesn't look that far down, we could definitely try getting in to see what it looks like in zere. Does anyone have a rope by any chance? Zat would make it even easier." Fathis Munk fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Sep 30, 2016 |
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Sep 30, 2016 16:55
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Ronnie "Could be another vent somewhere else," Ronnie observes. "You never know. Either way, we gotta see what's there. That still holds even if there's no one left down there." He thinks a moment. "I could go down, take a quick look before we send anyone else. If we got a rope, then someone keep hold; one tug from down below means everything's fine, two means everything is very not fine and to pull up. Easiest way to do it that I can think of."
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Sep 30, 2016 18:37
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 07:54 |
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Harry The big man nods, unslinging his pack and digging out some soft coiled rope as he squats comfortably. "Ronnie first, yeah? I'll hold it." He grins at the other man. "You tug twice I'll haul you up quick. Tie it good. Wouldn't want to dislocate anything." He straightens, handing the other man the rope.
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Sep 30, 2016 18:45
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