Pulse of the Imperium

In the end, it was Paul who brought Ambrose to his own crash site, updating the Sergeant on the way what had already been done with his thopter and what still needed to be done, apart from cells exchange. He seemed focused, fervent even, in bringing the preparations about as well as possible. Also because he was needed elsewhere soon.

Ambrose took the thopter in fast and low, but not so low as to risk having a close encounter with the charged canopy. They'd taken a moment to coax some power out of the fuel port apparatus and loaded up at first light. Efficiency was the word of the day.

Now that they were in the air, Ambrose brought up what he'd heard from Sinsei before their little bit of excitement. "I wouldn't delay the operation on such a long shot, but it might be worth a few bodies waiting in place until go time on the off chance they catch a cartel thopter. Would be a nice swing in our favor, and could add an advantage to our missile thopter plan."

"They know we're here, they may not risk it to come here, or it can be a trap. And we need to attack by this nightfall. Leaving anyone here would mean weakening our baiting team for uncertain gain. Which has already become weakened." He glanced to the back seats, where the victims of the spinehound attack were resting. "If anything, I'd be happy if we could goad their thopters into scrambling over the jungle before we attack their base."

"To do that, you'd need someplace where they'd feel the investment would yield the most gains. Perhaps if the goad team had a field to fallback to. Pre-dug with defenses, and set with traps and pitfalls." Hadrian said eyes blinking away exhaustion.

"Let's not overthink a simple mission with complex what ifs."

Lydia, looking pretty bandaged up but not showing any other effects, was watching out carefully. Her gun in her hands as she scouted the surrounding area.

Bern stared out into the woods as the others worked, the feeling the exhaustion still in his bones, despite the drugs he was on helping curve that. "What she said, brother."

He looked down at Lydia and shrugged. "You holding up okay?"

"You know the parameters of our strike plan. Any of you who isn't sworn to my father can still refuse to take part for whatever reason they seem paramount, and won't be begrudged. We'll land soon to make final repairs, rest and resupply, then I'll show you the path to the pass. Once we're all in positions, I'll be the one on the thopter to signal for your group to begin the fireworks."

"We've still got time to prepare the ground. The budget is set but the field still needs planting." He turned towards Paul. "If there's a break in the canopy, we can dig. Perhaps that will give us the moment you're hoping for.

Regardless, there's still a day of work ahead of us. Resting won't be in the cards for me until I've wine in my hand at the end of this adventure." He leaned back against the seat closing his eyes. "And if anyone who isn't sworn to his lordship doesn't wish to participate I'm willing to sell my family's home to get them on board."

Bern just stared at Hadrian for a good, long moment as he uttered those words. "...Yeah, let's not get too hasty there, little brother. Surely, Leto will remember those who fought valiantly today without prior commitment when they did not have to so not to rely on our meager means."

"Admirable dedication, but I don't think my father's coffers are so empty he can't reward service with solaris for those who desire it."

Paul said light-heartedly as he pointed out to Ambrose where they should be landing. Some torn-off canopies had been regrowing fast, but not fast enough to fully obscure his own crash site.

Hadrian chuckled as he imagined the look on his brother's face. Then listening in he was pleased to hear that Paul had a sense of humor as well.

"Ahhh you're never home anyways Bern. And besides," he grinned, "I'd give it a week before they'd beg us to take it back."

Bernard Martikova wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 13, 2024 10:31 pm

He looked down at Lydia and shrugged. "You holding up okay?"

"I don't need babying" was her only reply to that, as she stared out. Her eyes narrowed at the inane chatter but she said nothing on it. Accepting it as the only way they could mentally prepare, as little as she liked it.

Hadrian Martikova wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 14, 2024 6:13 am

~~snip~~

"Probably true, brother." He smiled and looked back to Lydia. "Good, because I didn't bring any pacifiers on this trip. Need you at peak performance for this last part."

He looked down at the site below, taking a deep breath for what was to come.

"I know" was her only reply.

Following Paul's gesture, Ambrose spotted his landing zone. Taking his time, he slowed them down to take the thopter in gently. He wanted to avoid a repeat of his first landing in this jungle.

Listening in to the conversation in the back, he added his own two cents, "I keep pacifiers in my medkit if you need, for the whiners. Of course, they are laced with some strong sedatives, so there's that."

Paul hopped out first once Ambrose had seated the machine.

"Let's get my thopter running. We can return to small talk later."

Without wasting time on formalities, Ambrose quickly grabbed the fuel cells and set to work installing them and giving the thopter a quick preflight check.

He found some non-standard repairs Paul had made with what he could salvage and Ambrose wasn't confident in. Mustering some confidence, he spoke up, "Umm, sir. I don't know about this bypass you've put in here, or what this component is or does."

-----
D3, Morning, Flyboyhood, Mechanics on Thopter: 1eP+2eA+2eD 1 failure, 4 advantage

Lydia had stepped out, gun drawn, and moved to watch over the group working. She wasn't going to interfere with experts working on the thopters. Or she assumed they were at least knowledgeable on it.

Paul's not a civilian, but he's not military either. So his work was easier for Hadrian to understand.

"Ahhh, I see whatya did. Here try..."

Flyboyhood | Mechanics check with boosts thanks to Ambrose: 1eP+2eA+2eB+2eD 4 successes


Some time later.

"...yep, that should do it." He said wiping his hands on his clothes. "If you wanna snap in those fuel cells I'll get to cutting away the vines."

"Oh, this one is actually Duncan's. Perhaps one of those 'it shouldn't be working but it should things." Before fixing it his own way, Paul looked up from it for a second opinion.

...

And there it was.

[Hadrian won fast-posting.]