Well, the bleeding was stopped pretty quickly so he didn't go into shock, but he's gonna start experiencing some pretty terrible effects as his body starts to fail.
((His funeral... Since he'll be out of the pod when he dies, his brain will have more than decayed when we get back.))
All right, one last check of the pods, I want to be sure they'll stay under and preserved for however long we're here.
Either of you want to dump your samples, now's the time.
Make sure the pods won't open again or fail after we leave, then head off back into the anomaly back to the forest and to the camp.
[aux:1-1]
You take a moment to slap at the stasis chambers whist making howler monkey noises. Yep, that was a perfectly valid and normal way to test if these systems are working. Yep.
That done, you hop back through the entrance to the anomaly and start off toward the campsite.
Milno sits on the floor, rests his back (more likely just bonks the larger pods) against the wall, taking care not to get anything broke, and drifts off into a light sleep to both rest and to make sure he'll wake up as soon as shenanigans ensure or they decide to leave.
You sit yourself up in a corner and close your eyes, trying to stay as alert as possible, even while unconscious.
"I'll stay up as a watch until the others have tucked in our casualties and have returned. Who's up for being the watch after this? Conrad, do you mind if we take a few glowsticks along?"
Conrad tosses you a few glowsticks as he steps into the building.
Oh, right! The samples!
Dump Simus's backup samples I had on me (the soil samples and the trunk and branch pieces). Take the sample of air here outside of the anomaly (as a control sample); label the air samples by areas where they were taken, mark the non-transparent container from before that it might or might not have pieces of Shadows (and thus shouldn't be opened in the light), then stash those into my own stasis pod. Check if the note is still there and if the occupied stasis pods are functioning - It would be rather embarassing for the teammates to expire while we are away, especially for Feyri. Reunite with the group and head back into the anomaly.
By the way, should we try going on a little hunt for Stiltwalkers while we are on our way to the camp? We may be unable to when we are on our way back to the shuttle after exploring the Lost Citadel, while on the other hand those are terryfyingly huge and I am not sure we will be able to take one down on our own. Then again, if I remember Conrad's desription of them correctly, their numerous legs are not so thick, so we may be able to immobilize one and then secure the victory.
Or, actually, we could try taking those even without killing it - just hacking away some of its meat and then running from it into cover, specificly the Forest which those shouldn't be able to enter - at least not without inflicting horrendous wounds on itself. So, what do you say?
You stash the samples, double check feyri's note and then take another look at the stasis pods.
[aux:3+1]
Well, looks like they're all working, least as far as you can tell. You shrug and join up with Simus as he heads back toward the camp.
Googles book and tries to figure out the foreshadowing
"Conrad, are these your books?"
((About our suits. A long, long time ago I remember reading that we had some kind of power things at the back, and we shouldn't lean on it as a result? Also, the faceplate covers the entire face, correct?))
(Heat fins, yeah. They get quite hot, but you can keep them to reasonable temps by just turning your suit down to minimum power usage when you want to lay down. Though those fins are only on the Mk I, the better suits don't have them. And yeah, the faceplate is basically just a cut out piece of the solid metal helmet that encases your whole head. It flips open and closed.)
"Yes." He says, sitting down in bed.
"Well...
...goodnight, then. Set the camera to watch over us in case anything interesting happens during the night, but don't bother with a watch. Nothing will hurt us out here."
Attempt to make faceplate block light from outside, leaving it night and dark in here. Then sleep on the nice sand.
You set up the camera, lower your suit's power usage to the most minimal settings, turn off the faceplate monitor, and curl up in the sand.
Charro sat up suddenly, a thoughtful look crossing his features. He looked a bit worried about something, and scrambled to his feet and began searching the small building. 'How could we forget?!
He grimaced to himself, trying not to disturb anyone as he looked about.
>Search for a shovel. We need to dig a latrine! Poop in the spacesuit is no laughing matter!
You see no shovels around. Then you remember the big tube shoved up your ass and the smaller, much more uncomfortable tube shoved up...well regardless, waste isn't gonna be a problem.
"Oh, samples. That's right!"
Thomas heads back to the ship and stores his samples in his pod. Then he follows the rest back to camp.
You stow your samples and join up with Simus and Maurice on the walk back.
((Dudes, Maurice is, like, an actual doctor! Not like the bullshit ones like Faith and Mesk, but he actually HELPS you! Holy shit guys! Why don't we have more medics like him?!))
((Well, Mesk gets points for trying. His methods could use help, but Faith did abandon Milno for loot.))
((Well... I guess you have a point. They still suck as medics when compared to Maurice anyway. Just sayin'. ))
((All that was missing from Feyris farewell was a bedtime story and being tucked in. Masons will presumably involve more limping and honor retaining.))
((The last one warms my heart despite my guilt over killing an innocent due to confusion in chat.
Good going doc! You're an inspiration to all of us ))
. . .
... Okay, but I am standing nearby watching you do those two steps to crawl inside, and if anything - anything - goes wrong (such as you tripping, having a seizure or something), I am going to help you get stuffed there.
Let him have it, Thomas. The man's dignity and self-respect are the last things we want him to lose. For some people it's all that keeps them running, after all.
Alright, Mason, I wish you having a good rest and quick recovery. Don't worry, I am absolutely certain next time you will have some real good luck. Maurice smiled warmly as he saw Mason to the stasis pod.
Help Thomas carry Mason into the shuttle, directly to an unoccupied stasis pod, then let him get inside on his own, and carefully watch him do so - catch if he starts falling, and generally help him get inside if he is unable to do so on his own.
I thank you for your help. I wouldn't be able to get here in time to give these two a chance without your selfless courage and determination. Now, should we deposit the samples here now that we have the chance, as Simulacrus pointed out?
Make a short note and put it with Feyri's head (or in a container directly nearby, if putting it inside the stasis pod is going to damage it):Rest well, Feyri, and may there arise no problems with your revival and recuperation.
- Maurice Sanctor
Maurice helps Mason into his pod after Mason has finished setting it up on the control pad. The pod closes and Maurice and the rest of the away team head out, unaware of the 10 minute timer secretly ticking away behind them.
First time I read the timer, thought the shuttle was rigged with explosives.
What does the 10 minute timer do, if I may ask?
(Well, there's always that hole Irony carved out to get at tree roots earlier...
It's things like this that make me really happy that I'm a robot now. :3)
((I thought I did that? Before I struck the tree with lightning? ))
The timer is one that mason set to let him out of stasis 10 minutes after the team has left.
Wait diligently for Thomas.
You stand around, watching the path expectantly, clasping your hands together in worry as you wait to see the familiar shape of your significant other returning.
The away team makes it about half way to camp and roughly an hour passes as the team in camp either sleeps, talks, fucks about or stares into space like weirdos. Meanwhile, back on the shuttle, Mason has fallen out of his stasis pod, his "Clever" ruse a success.