Seeing that Betham doesn't seem to be too concerned and that there doesn't seem to be any real danger yet, Zeton quickly heads over to Betham.
"OK," he says, "whoever is here knows we are here and they aren't happy about it. It's too bad we can't emit thoughts of happiness and calm to reassure these folks we aren't here to bother them, eh?"
Zeton wipes some rain from his brow and nervously looks around into the shadows. "So, how do you recommend we approach and enter the worker flats?"
"Very carefully," replies Betham. "Trying to cut through the woods would be a very bad idea, what with all the blind baggage."
"Hey!" cries Mey'Luskar indignantly. "Who are you..."
"GET DOWN!!!!" yells Betham, giving Zeton a shove.
"NO!!!" screams Bina simultaneously as she tackles Mey'Luskar.
There is a sound like a nearby lightning strike. It is accompanied by a flash that leaves a short-lived, visible path of blue fire in the air as the very molecules of the mist are torn apart. One of the trees on the opposite side of the road erupts in flame from its trunk.
"Rakk!" barks Lirassa. "That was no laser designator!"
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[Sorry - been on the road for the last couple of days. Hope it's not too late: Granite will have her staff across her back, and her pistol at the ready. As far as positioning, she'll be somewhere in the middle of the group, probably close to Nekshi's side.]
Granite moves for cover, dragging Nekshi along with her. "That's got to be an auto-defense system. I can't seriously believe they have guards that attentive on duty around the clock... unless we were expected..." Granite looks at Betham suspiciously.
(I'll assume that last talk box transmission was in Yangae.)
"No!" cries Bina. "We surprised them! They're afraid!"
"If someone's in the tower of the house," points out Pru, "They could've seen the bus coming a kilometer away, especially with no streetlights."
"You didn't see the streetlights?" asks Betham. "They're there. Someone smashed 'em."
"Daugk!" cries Lirassa. "I see them! I think there's only one, right behind the corner of that building!"
Just then, a voice yells in somewhat slurred Her-galad, "GET OUT!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!"
Another shot blazes its way through the mist, erupting in the tree behind which Pru and Mey'Luskar are cowering a good three meters over their heads.
"We not here for you. What you do here we don't care. This is way we take to get where we are going, no more" Widj calls back in Her-Galad
There is a moment of tense silence.
"Don't bother," says Betham. "Can't you hear him? He's loaded up..."
"She got his attention!" interrupts Bina. "Something about Farbetts...something important!"
"WHO INVITED YOU?!?" screams the voice.
Zeton low crawls to Betham and smiles as rain runs down his mud covered face, "Thanks for pushing me out of the way, hopefully I can do the same for you one day."
Then, due to the stress of the moment, Zeton asks a flurry of questions without waiting for any answers. "So, do you think our host is alone? Do you think if Widj keeps the individual's attention focused on her, we could sneak up on them? Your poncho, does it help camouflage your digital signature? If so, maybe we could circle around them and try to take them from their flank?"
As Zeton focuses on his breathing and begins to calm down, Zeton scans the darkness in front of him and finishes by quietly stating, "I sure hope we don't have to hurt whoever is out there."
Betham stares at Zeton for a few moments, and then he says, "Can't say for sure, but I don't think he's alone. I'm feeling there's others inside the building. Again, she can probably tell you better." He nods toward Bina.
Bina doesn't say anything.
From his cover, Mon'Fargret replies, "WE INVITED OURSELVES. AND YOUR NEXT SHOT WILL BE YOUR LAST. GO BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE DOING AND YOU WON'T HEAR FROM US AGAIN."
With that, he fixes his aim on the source of the shots.
"Widj, keep talking to them, they seem to be willing to listen to you. Try and put a stop to this as best you can."
Zeton then turns his attention to Bina and calmly asks, "Can you sense what is so important about Farbetts, or what we can do to reassure whoever is out there, that they shouldn't be afraid of us?"
"Hush!" says Bina sharply. "Just wait!"
"GO BURY YOURSELVES, YOU FLAMING YANGS!!!!" yells the voice in answer to Mon'Fargret.
Another shot blazes its way through the mist, this time expending itself against the gate well away from anybody.
(If anyone is planning to try to draw a bead on the shooter, give me an ALT roll.)
At Bina's request, Mon'Fargret keeps his aim but does not fire.
[Is there something blocking us from entering? I thought we were almost in the tunnel.]
(I'll post a map of the grounds once the party has a better idea what they look like. For the record, the group passed through the main gate to the plantation and is still on the short [about 80m] road that cuts through the "forest wall" ringing the compound. The nearest building to the end of the road is the workers' apartments, and the shooter is hiding behind its corner. The party is currently taking cover in the trees at the edge of the "forest wall" about 30m away from the building.)
(If anyone has any idea where the tunnel entrance is yet, they haven't said so.)
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