A fire was burning, filling the tent with a sweet smelling smoke that drifted out into the fog, and there was a single cauldron of stew bubbling over it. Some of the supplies around the tent looked intact. Sensing something wasn't right, a woman with dog-like features came out of the tent with a handgun to look around. She had white fur and a big bushy tail and was wearing a primitive fur-covered cold-weather outfit.
The fog kept changing. One moment it would seem to clear then the next would thicken up so you could only see a few meters ahead of you. Sanda wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad. Good it helped keep there little group hidden, bad that it would do the same for any enemies. Sanda suddenly froze and tapped twice on her comm, signaling everyone to freeze. The tall Ranger melted into fog. She had just caught a whiff of something. They must be getting closer to the campsite the Resurgence's drones had picked up.
Sanda moved back towards the XO untill she was crouched beside her. "We're close." She whispered, counting on Koyama to read her lips more than hear her voice. "Less than 100 meters. With this fog it's hard to tell. I'd like to try getting closer alone first to check it out." Sanda let the request hang in the air, wanting to see how much leadway the XO might give her.
The little Elysian woman, Aradia, piped up - she'd been quiet for some time, and trying her best to not get lost. "I'd fly out to scout from above, but this still air... They'd hear me long before they can see me," she borderline-whispered. It took a bit of a conscious effort for the hummingbird to not rustle her wings as a demonstration - which would, of course, only give away her position. That was one advantage of the fog - the bright pink and blue pigmentation didn't stand out, because nobody could even see it in the first place.
Koyama continued to look through the HUD of her SACOS glasses. As the infra-red read the changes of temperature and the thickening of the fog surrounding them the Neko began to frown. Visibility being lower was a double-edged blade she did not particularly enjoy. Beneficial but also a detriment to those with her. While her eyesight was inherently superior as was her hearing and sense of smell, she could not account for everyone. Lacking a traditional 'mic' such as the others wore, she was however equipped with her own form as well as being able to rely on the natural wireless abilities of being born as a Nekovalkyrja.
So when the signal clicked twice, Koyama's ears flitted on reflex before returning to their forward position again. With a nod to herself, the XO crouched, the cutdown GP-12 clutched in her hands and at a ready position as the Ranger melted into a shadowy silhouette. While she could keep an eye on the woman through her heat signature such as it was to a point, technology only went so far. All the while she tried to will Thad to be on better behavior and not try and continue thinking of ridiculous cover stories. But such thoughts were brushed aside as the taller Nepleslian woman returned to her and mouthed words at her. The Neko tilted her head as she listened, golden eyes blinking from behind the lenses.
A moment after Sanda's report and request ended, she gave a small nod. But hastened to add with her own 'words' to only use force as necessary and good fortune in her scouting. All the while screaming inwardly at who she was now saddled with. And just like that and a nod toward the mists, it was a signal for Sanda to go and do what she'd been trained to do.
To Aradia, Koyama merely shook her head. And through her own communications methods 'spoke'. "Let Sanda-hei handle this. With visibility so poor you'd be at risk as well." The Caelisolan simply nodded in response, staying silent this time.
The anthro woman disappeared back into the next and then emerged again after a moment with a balaclava, backpack, and snowshoes added, and then held a telescopic rifle sight up to her eye like a miniature telescope, looking around. She had thought she had heard a shuttle but couldn't be sure. She began to climb the nearby rocks to get a higher vantage point than the tent, which was positioned in a somehat secluded low point.
Sanda smiled. She could see the brief flash of realization that Koyama would be stuck with Thad alone.
Hazards of war..She mouthed silently then disappeared again into the fog like a glass of water being poured out into a river.
Sanda moved out, rifle held up and ready to fire at any moment. She had twisted a silencer over her weapon as soon as they had landed. Sanda had her own way of seeing through the fog. She had a cybernetic left eye with infra-red abilities. She had seen the dog woman and the handgun she carried. Her campsite was littered with Star Army crates. Sanda was fairly certain that this was one of the people they were sent to look for. But she wouldn't take anything for granted.
Sanda moved silently around the camp. Making sure there was no one else at the camp or any unwanted surprises. Finally convinced there wasn't anything, she moved in closer.
From her higher position up on the rock, peeking out, the survivor spotted Sanda and decided she looked hostile. She kept low to the ground behind cover and watched in horror as the stranger entered her campsite like an assassin. She dared not make a sound.
Sanda froze as she entered the camp. The Dog woman was gone! Sanda had gotten overconfident and must have missed her leaving the camp in the fog. "Miércoles!" Sanda swore under her breath. She was looking around to try to figure out where had the dog woman gone.
Sanda suddenly got that cold sensation you get when someone is watching you. She forced herself not to panic or make a run for it. That might make someone nervous and start shooting. Best to keep your cool. Sanda slowly and almost casually began moving away from the camp back into the cover of the fog. As she did she noticed a rock ledge that offered a good view of the campsite. That would have been the place Sanda would have moved to if someone had intruded upon her camp.
There was no way to approach that position without being seen by whoever was up there. Sanda was fairly certain that the dog woman was an ally. Best to try to coax her out. Sanda moved back into the camp where she could be seen and removed her helmet so she face with the lighting tattoo could be plainly seen. It actually felt good to let her hair out swish it around.
The survivor kept still, feeling worried and confused. She knew she would probably have to leave her camp and disappear if she wanted to stay safe. She had been on the run for so long, trying to lay low from the Kuvexian invaders, but losing her camp would make survival that much harder. She forced herself to stop peeking and slowly crawled back from the rock to position herself to leave. Once she was out of sight of the campsite she just booked it and ran at her fastest sustainable pace off towards the next patch of rock outcrops that would give her a new hiding spot, deliberately choosing a path that wouldn't be visible from the camp.
That cold feeling of being watched had left. Sanda cursed herself for letting someone slip by her. She touched her ear and radioed the others. "Sanda here. Camp secrued. One contact at large. Believed to be friendly. Contact headed North. Permission to track?"
The camp site consisted of a pavilion type tent with oil barrels and various supply crates around it and inside there was a cauldron of stew over a fire and a foam Nekovalkyrja nest mattress covered in a fur pelt. There were two wooden tables and a nice looking Yamataian rug on the floor. Some Star Army gear was inside including standard uniforms like an exercise one.
Koyama chewed the inside of a cheek as she waited with both Aradia and Thad. The former she liked. The latter was still out to the jury. But once Sanda's voice tickled her mind, the Neko tapped the side of her glasses, zooming them in toward the camp. Sanda's thermal image was discernible enough to make out from where she was. Yet with the urge to simply assist in her own fashion mounting, the XO continued to crouch with ears flitting back and forth.
"Granted. Remember, if this is indeed one of the missing personnel, they are liable to be dangerous considering their circumstances. Non-lethal force only if necessary." came the response followed by a hiss not directed toward the Ranger. And likely toward the other Nepleslian.
"Copy. Sanda out." Well Koyama sounded more understanding than Sanda felt. She felt like a feth'n rookie. She tied back on her helmet and took off after the dog woman. Sanda first climbed to the rocky point where her quarry had been hiding. She knelt down and studied the ground. Even though it was mostly rocks and hard ground, Sanda could still get an idea of which way she had moved. She looked around there was another rock outcorp not to far away. Sanda used her cybernetics to magnify and study the area. There was too much open space between the her and the next outcrop. She'd have to take a longer route to not be seen. Fine, if that was what she needed to do to rectify her mistake.
The anthro survivor breathed heavily from behind her new cover and then took a tactical look with her rifle scope to see Sanda up on the rock where she had just been. A chill went up her spine. How did they find her? Was this a mercenary? She didn't know but she knew she had to keep moving. She crawled into another position that blocked Sanda's view and then sprinted to the next group of rocks about a football field further away. There were only so many hiding places and they were all piles of rocks or holes carved by glaciers. She missed the forests of Yamatai right now. But she might never see them again at this rate. Her backpack full of her last survival supplies felt heavy but she knew leaving it might mean not lasting through the next cold season.
OOC: JP by
@Soresu @Cowboy @Arbitrated and Wes
