The NEW Vanguard! Lionheart issue #6 - the mission part 4

Admin wrote:Did he drink the juice she offered from the flask, try to break free or simply wait it out to see what happened?

Grasping the juice, Lionheart reluctantly took a good swig, so as to communicate with the Alien. If, as he now suspected, the others had only rudimentary knowledge of how to use this ship he was their best hope of getting out of this alive. And even that wasn't saying much.

Somehow with the juice sluicing down to his insides, doing whatever it did he had to offer up to the Aliens the one viable choice - let me get this hunk flying before we all get killed?

OOC:Ok so once I've drunk the junk I make a move to persuade the aliens that I am their best hope of getting this ship anywhere near doing what they need it to do and for us all to escape rather than be like fish in a barrel.

Sj

Pain gripped his insides as the liquid sluiced down!

He coughed, gagged, and looked up...

"...we didn't know what we were doing and took the craft anyway. Through luck and persistence we managed to make it move but when a signal appeared on a screen thing showing a destination we turned to it, and came across you. Some kind of alert or alarm. If I free you will you help us? Oh. You don't look well." stated the alien.

Lionheart gasped, looked up and struggled not to gag! That stuff...! But for the moment he could understand and be understood by the alien. The snake still entwined him but he could maybe break free. Would that be seen as an aggressive move? Saying that, did he have time for niceties?

The ship rocked again!

BANG!

It lurched to one side and the alien fell to one side, crashing into a wall and grazing her head!

Now or never! Lionheart wondered if he could still fly. Technically, if he could, he could grab it from the inside and fly it below the jungle canopy to get into cover, or fly with a zig zag pattern, anything better than flying straight and being blasted! Of course if he couldn't he might have wasted his only chance of sorting this mess out!

OOC help her, talk to her, try to escape and speed off to the bridge or get the heck off this thing before it goes boom?

Admin wrote:Technically, if he could, he could grab it from the inside and fly it below the jungle canopy to get into cover, or fly with a zig zag pattern, anything better than flying straight and being blasted! Of course if he couldn't he might have wasted his only chance of sorting this mess out!

OOC help her, talk to her, try to escape and speed off to the bridge or get the heck off this thing before it goes boom?

OOC: Ermm since I don't know if I can fly, I will go for the flying option. You know me too well to know I'd never desert these folk and would take the most heroic option available. I'm stupid and noble, but predictable stupid and noble, therefore I'm always going to take the option that saves people, at the risk of my own life.

If the flying option doesn't work, oh and yes I assume breaking out is going to be quicker than waiting to be released by the dazed alien, so break out. If I can, I can imagine at this point it all going 'pair shaped' as my character proves tragically inept. If the flying option doesn't work, then its try and fly this to a crash landing or else take whatever option seems most expedient to save as many of the aliens as possible.

Sj

The Alien took a chance and with an unintelligible word, soft stroke gesture and whispered blow of air, the snake uncoiled and sped towards her leg.

Lionheart didn't wait to explain. The ship was lurching dramatically! His alien captor slid across the lopsided floor to crash into a wall. She looked dazed but otherwise unhurt.

The hero smashed a fist into the floor. Ow! Force field still operative, but much less so! The metal seemed harder too, more durable. He felt about, then grasped what felt to be a girder. The other hand took two punches to break through the floor and he stifled a curse as the solid bulkhead underneath proved unwielding. As the ship continued to plummet he rotated and punched again.

BANG!

Through the floor went his fist. He reached in... come on... wires... pipes... The ship was screaming and vertical now. Another BANG! A crash was imminent!

There! Grasping something metal and hard, Lionheart took a grip, then willed himself up.

NOTHING!

What? No... As a flier he could feel the terrific weight he was holding, and without a lever it was his flight against the weight of the ship. Problem was he wasn't near as fast as he used to be! He wondered... The ship shot down, then angled and levelled out... only problem is he couldn't see through the ship wall! CRASH! Crish! CRASH!

The ship tilted and bucked, smashed through... something...

Lionheart wasn't flying the ship as such. Instead he was pushing it, and could angle it up, down, left right... What he couldn't do was hover - or see!

OOC The ship is being chased, blasted, and seems to be bumping through stuff - trees probably. Lionheart has stopped it crashing though - for now. Thoughts on what to do next?

Admin wrote:Lionheart wasn't flying the ship as such. Instead he was pushing it, and could angle it up, down, left right... What he couldn't do was hover - or see!

OOC The ship is being chased, blasted, and seems to be bumping through stuff - trees probably. Lionheart has stopped it crashing though - for now. Thoughts on what to do next?

OOC:Oh dear, what are the chances of 'flying' this ship whilst being directed by this alien lass, all the while under fire successfully? Nil I'd imagine, all I am doing is presenting the other ship the opportunity for shooting practice. Fish in a barrel comes to mind. No, I think I get the alien women to tell me where there is a safe spot to land, and where we can try and evacuate everyone safely. Then my plan is to try and capture the other craft, intact! But we'll see about landing in one piece first.

Sj

The hero grunted with the effort. Not only was he pushing the limits of his much lower superhuman strength, but the engines of this thing were fighting against him!

That meant rather than fully being able to steer, he was more 'nudging' it into one direction or another! The Alien warrior righted herself, though she was dazed. Seeing Lionheart as seemingly balancing on his hands in the middle of the floor she was about to speak... then saw the holes in the floor into which he'd thrust his hands. And the ship lurched again!

She blinked. "You.... fly... ship?" Other words had been spoken but it appeared the foul tasting slop that allowed them to converse was wearing off! She stared again, then shouted "talooo!" Seeing Lionhearts confusion she turned to a panel on the wall and shouted "Taloo Charm!" along with a string of words that Lionheart couldn't understand! The Ship lurched again, banking, as she turned to the hero. "Charrro! CHARRO!" with a hand thrusting forward... as if to push... faster?

This was tricky. Lionheart would have to trust that the warrior woman was right in her instruction for him to speed up - it would reduce the ability to steer the ship and could prove fatal if it were to collide with something hard and unyielding - like a mountain!

Admin wrote:This was tricky. Lionheart would have to trust that the warrior woman was right in her instruction for him to speed up - it would reduce the ability to steer the ship and could prove fatal if it were to collide with something hard and unyielding - like a mountain!

But then again, given his complete lack of knowledge about where they were, what was happening or indeed what might happen if they were caught as they were. Doing anything the Warrior Women said, seemed the best of all possible worst decisions. After all how much worse, could it get, save dying.

Lionheart nodded, not being entirely sure what she had indicated. OOC: I.e. I'm not at all sure what she meant, but assume Lionheart is brighter than me and does do what she meant, and just insert her accordingly. ;-)

Sj

Lionheart frowned. "What..? I don't..."

She made thrusting motions with her hands.

"Faster? That's mad!" he muttered. "I can't see!"

She seemed to frown in response, then eyes brightened and she held up a finger.

"What...?" muttered Lionheart again. "I don't..."

She tossed what appeared to be a glowing melon at the wall, a moment after tearing off the stem. It struck the wall of the cargo bay... and exploded!

Lionheart was aware of fragments striking what remained of his force field but relieved there wasn't so much as a sting. Then, suddenly, he could see! And a huge - fifty feet wide trunk - blue true rose up from the jungle directly in their path! He swerved right... and could feel the engines straining against his reduced flight! Arrgggh! What are they...?

Suddenly they seemed to figure out what was happening and flicked the vessel to the right, and he had to overcorrect the opposite way to avoid a cliff face! Metal groaned in his grip and he cringed - he could feel metal bending, buckling, stretching... then the ship headed forward again, over the cliff but staying low over the vibrant multi hued jungle! Behind him there was a huge crash, but not from their ship!

The Alien was dangling her head out in the wind, hair trailing and looking behind. She whooped with delight and jabbered something at speed. Lionheart felt the ship start to reverse thrust. Were they trying to land? It was no longer flight worthy because of that hole, but he'd been able to see with it and save the ship so...

He heard clattering footsteps work their way down corridors at speed heading to the cargo bay...

Admin wrote:He heard clattering footsteps work their way down corridors at speed heading to the cargo bay...

Booted feet, his mind seemed to be saying. The Aliens did they have booted feet? He looked to the Warrior woman, and had to make a decision if the ship behind had crashed...might its crew have leapt aboard? If so things were going to get messy quick. Lionheart steadied himself looking over his shoulder, If push came to shove he might have to release the ship and grab the girl to get off. Where were the others alien Warrior Women, had they been subdued already...?

OOC: Ok so getting ready, assuming my danger sense will give me the skinny here, but knowing its greatly reduced I am taking the opportunity to look back when the way ahead permits. Not sure what I'll do, dropping the ship might be for starters after all though because I can't really use it as a club, although I could shake it about perhaps. Go steep, we'll have to see what is about behind me now first.

Sj

OOC very well spotted! They are indeed booted feet and your new ally - and her friends - don't bother with footwear. Someone wicked this way comes...

Lionheart 'listened' for his danger sense.

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 10,7,+0 Total:17 + Danger Sense vs TN11 + Threat. Success.

These newcomers WERE hostile! What on earth? Or rather not, but anyway... Those BANGS! and THUDS! he'd heard might have been missiles or laser blasts, but it appeared they were something else as well. And judging by how heavy footed they were, they weren't small!

Lionheart heard laser blasts, then screams!

An explosion rang out, and the Alien woman gasped in fear, eyes wide in terror looking towards the corridor and where it led to the rest of the ship. They'd been boarded, no doubt, and whatever was on board was wasting no time in smashing the native ship thieves! Lionheart came to the sad conclusion that the ship was lost, but he and his companion still had chance to escape and perhaps gain some revenge for her companions. He still needed to find Wandafar and Saladin... he had no idea how that would turn out!

The alien girl started to move towards the door, pulling her dagger out. She shouted at Lionheart, he couldn't understand, and he saw tears in her eyes. She was determined to go down fighting! He was lower now, and could land easily, but to do so would mean leaving his new companion to her fate, and those heavy clomping footsteps were getting MUCH closer!

Admin wrote:She was determined to go down fighting! He was lower now, and could land easily, but to do so would mean leaving his new companion to her fate, and those heavy clomping footsteps were getting MUCH closer!

"Oh no you don't not on my watch." Lionheart looked for the best escape route, from the already stricken ship. Then with what he hoped was precision, let loose his grip, ran for the warrior woman and after scooping her up ran for the fastest exit off the ship. He didn't have anything like his usual speed, strength or energy, but he was going to put all he could into getting her and himself off as safely as he could.

OOC:So attempting to grab her, run and get off the ship, leaping from said ship as it falls to the ground with us both intact I hope. Assume Hp spent where things are diced to make it happen.

Sj

Lionheart released the ship - which started to tumble - and he leapt across the room to scoop the alien woman in his arms and spiralled towards the hole in the wall he'd been using to see where to steer.

OOC Shouldn't be too hard. Even reduced, he was beyond olympic level gymnastic skill. Roll(2d10)+0: 6,3,+0 Total:9 Good enough. Just.

Bursting out into the open air and over the jungle, he looked back at the ship. Cyborg like creatures were shackled to the hull and cutting/blasting away at it! He'd not seen their like before but doubtless he would get to know of them soon enough!

He turned away with the alien woman in his arms and sped downwards to skim over the jungle canopy. One of the Cyborgs saw him, but he was through the loose leaves and out of sight before it could bring weapons to bear!

The sobbing alien woman squirmed in his grasp and mumbled something, pointing in a direction into a deeper part of the jungle. She then realised that Lionheart was flying and gaped in astonishment, as it meant she was flying too!

The hero was somewhat frustrated. His speed and agility was so far diminished it seemed he'd been reduced to a level that he'd been at when in the PSI Corps, all that time ago. That would put him far stronger than a normal human, able to lift several tons and faster too. Superhuman, but only as a fraction of his former self. His mental powers were reduced too, but still... better than nothing.

OOC As an example, you may need to dig out the GH book to figure out what this stuff means - roughly. In the game system we use he has other abilities and the range of them is somewhat higher than the street level stuff found in GH...



The Alien woman wanted him to go in a certain direction. He wasn't sure if Wandafar would be in that direction and figured his best bet would be to gain altitude and looking down from afar. But also make him a target. He heard a CRASH! from behind and it seemed the stolen ship had crashed down...

Admin wrote:The Alien woman wanted him to go in a certain direction. He wasn't sure if Wandafar would be in that direction and figured his best bet would be to gain altitude and looking down from afar. But also make him a target. He heard a CRASH! from behind and it seemed the stolen ship had crashed down...

Lionheart needed answers, the cyborgs were clearly alien and not at all like the people of the planet whose tech seemed primitive and biological by contrast. Flying as low as he dared, Lionheart headed where the Alien Warrior indicated. If aliens like these were on this world, it was likely they were here with no compunction about what they did. The brazen way they boarded the ship showed a flagrant disregard for life, their own let alone the warrior women.

That being the case, it might be the whole settlement had got on the radar of the Aliens and they might just take the fight to them. It didn't take a genius to work out what would happen to them, then.

For the time being, Wandafar and what had happened to that reluctant partner of his Saladin would have to wait.

OOC: To the settlement and to infinity...oh well something like that anyway. ;-)

Sj

Lionheart swooped through the forest, marvelling that it would rival the forests of giant redwoods on Earth.

Of course the difference was the wild array of colours that assaulted the senses, the smells, the sounds... Time for sightseeing later! A laser blast impacted somewhere behind him, but was already a distance away.

Soon the sounds of pursuit turned more sporadic after Lionheart changed course several times.

By the time the sun.. or suns... started to set, the forest was darkening rapidly and large creatures, including blue tiger like creatures almost as large as elephants, could be seen prowling about far below.

=========

Even Lionheart was getting tired and hungry by the time he landed on a ten foot wide branch.

His alien passenger had calmed down and was plucking large melon like fruit from branches. There were actually berries, but after being carved up and divided into segments, Lionheart breathed a sigh of relief to see the alien sink her teeth into one and offer him a slice.

The taste was bitter, then refreshing. He felt energy flow into him and he knew he wouldn't starve to death on this alien world as the food seemed edible and at least not poisonous. So far.

Just then his danger sense went off! What in the ...?



Literally, stepping from the darkness were armoured and armed humanoids with weapons ready. Wherever the moons did not shine, there was dark shadow and from that stepped more and more of these shadow type warriors. It was fair to say that his alien companion was less than enamoured as at first she was defensive, then looked to be more terrified! Lionheart glanced around. There were more than thirty of them...

Now what?

All of a sudden the eyes of the newcomers started to glow purple... and Lionheart could sense rather than feel that psychic powers were at work here! His danger sense screamed!

Admin wrote:Now what?

All of a sudden the eyes of the newcomers started to glow purple... and Lionheart could sense rather than feel that psychic powers were at work here! His danger sense screamed!

Lionheart didn't have much chance to think through the possibilities of what this meant, only that this was likely a hostile situation and now was the time to act. He scoured about him, looking for some way to throw off the incoming attack.

OOC: Given the limits of my powers I'm thinking of several ideas to throw off this attack. But both Lionheart and you'd have a better idea than me the player as to what would best fit the circumstances.

So option 1 is to use my Telekinesis to either blow them all back, throw up mud and dirt to blind them or causes trees, loose leaves and or branches to whip about them, so as to disrupt whatever collective attack they're about to launch. Before hightailing it out of there.

Alternatively, I could try to attack them back with my own mind blast, putting points into a multi-attack. However, I am aware that this might be limited in scope. Still, if it would afford me the chance to get away, still good enough.

Just one other thing, the GH character sheet doesn't say anything about danger sense, intuition? Not sure of that is an oversight or if I no longer have it, but instead just some finely honed instincts? Just thought I ought to come clean on that one!

Anyway, pick the attack that Lionheart would assume to have the best chance of working given what he knows. And assume HP if needed. After which its grab our tall warrior woman friend and high tail it out of there.

Sj

OOC I think back in the day Intuition was one power slot too far for the character. Already felt like a bit of a cheat for choosing powers instead of rolling up but I always seemed to roll Cybernetics and Claws. Oh and weather control. Super Strength, one of the most common powers, eluded me when the dice were in my hand. So reactions kind of covered the ability to dodge even when Intuition wasn't there. Sort of. Danger sense isn't that useful in DC Heroes game system other than giving you a pre warning about incoming attacks and allowing you to choose dodge when surprise wouldn't normally let you. Something like Spidermans' 'Combat Sense' in the old Marvel Superheroes advanced game would be more useful. I think. Been decades since I GM'd that...

As for Lionhearts' options...

Preparing to launch his own attack, Lionheart suddenly saw one of the newcomers step forward, weapon slightly lowered. A trap?

A trick of some kind? He wasn't under attack yet but could clearly sense the group was linked and that if he were to attack one, he'd end up attacking them all, and thus find it much tougher.

Just then he felt 'something' in his head. An attack... or something else? If he didn't react now he might be caught unawares, but what if they were trying to communicate? His alien companion certainly seemed petrified of this lot...

Admin wrote:Just then he felt 'something' in his head. An attack... or something else? If he didn't react now he might be caught unawares, but what if they were trying to communicate? His alien companion certainly seemed petrified of this lot...

Sometimes Lionheart had to sift the conflicting information his crazy intuition gave off. Yes, this was a potentially deadly enemy, but might they also be allies? First contact was never easy, but these were not the same creatures that attacked the ship, so it seemed at least worth while making overtures towards peace. Besides which, Lionheart had spectacularly failed to find any real forward traction on locating Wandafar, any help was more than he had right now.

OOC: Ok play it cool and let's see how things spin out, I'll let them make the first move and seek to be none threatening. But nonetheless, I am not lowering my guard, even mentally or otherwise. So should they make the wrong move, I am all ready for attack.

If they want to communicate, then I am good with that. These clearly look more sophisticated than hitherto we've seen so a level of restraint might be order despite the danger they pose.

So I am none threatening gestures, and all the same all popping mental energy so that they know I to am on standby, should they contemplate trying to pull a fast one.

Sj

With his mental shield 'up' Lionheart played it cool.

Well, as cool as someone surrounded by potential enemies whilst trapped in an alien universe could be!

He felt it, at the edge of his shield. A tickle, scratch even. trying to get in. It didn't have the blunt force of an all out attack but then they may have been trying to lull him into a false sense of security. Of course, they still had their weapons trained on him, but his danger sense, despite telling him he was in danger, hadn't identified any specific threat, yet.

The blue alien woman shook at his arm, crying out frantically for him to.. whatever it was she was saying. Then he felt the tickling again, more insistent. He looked at those around him and knew for this to proceed any further he'd have to take a leap of faith and drop his shield or try something else, be it go on the offensive or grab the girl and try to get out of there. If he did the latter, might he miss the opportunity to secure a potential ally? He was of course a stranger in a strange land, and while it seemed the blue alien wasn't at all fond of the newcomers, they hadn't actually taken any direct aggressive action against either of them... yet.

So, his shields might stop them, but what if they were trying to speak to him? If he delayed, might frustration set in and they try it another way? He was uncomfortably aware of the weapons they held, how many of them there were and his dramatically reduced power levels! In fact it'd been so long since he was 'this weak' he thought he might be somewhere around his original power levels from his time in the Psi Corps! Compared to what he'd been recently since the 'boost' he'd gotten after going through the magical reality gate that saw him in this timeline, he was practically a normal human!

And somewhere out there was Saladin. He knew it, could feel it. There would be another reckoning, but first he had to get out of this mess!

Admin wrote:And somewhere out there was Saladin. He knew it, could feel it. There would be another reckoning, but first he had to get out of this mess!

OOC: Drop the shield. Hate to say to especially with Big Blue not liking it, but I need to know who my allies are and that means taking a risk. I'm pretty certain whatever trouble you'll get me in, I won't die for taking a choice. That would be pretty death trap dungeon, so let's choose the red pill.

Sj

Pain! What had he...

'...alien...strange...lesser being...power...question?'

thoughts popped into his head. Were they... yes! Communicating! Their thoughts, whilst not in English, were things that Lionhearts own mind could translate. He looked at his companion. She was still terrified. Just then he caught another flash of thoughts. They seemed to be learning too. 'The Amaarii are a simple people, child like, and native to this world. Our attempts to communicate with them terrify and pain them. You, however, appear to have a mental resilience lacking in them. In addition some of my people consider the Amaarii to be a food source, of sorts. Much of the food on this world is poison to us, and our numbers have dwindled. For a long lived race such as ours, you can have no idea how painful it is to see lives accelerated to death because of starvation or illness.'

Lionheart gasped. Every thought, every pulse, was pain. But... controllable. He could withstand it. The... Amaarii could not it seemed. And he figured being treated as cattle and eaten by these beings wouldn't rank high on their list of things to do for the day.

These newcomers were clearly not native to the world then. Could they help him? More importantly, would they? He figured he'd need to choose his next words and actions carefully...

Admin wrote:These newcomers were clearly not native to the world then. Could they help him? More importantly, would they? He figured he'd need to choose his next words and actions carefully...

Lionheart concentrated, hoping that his diminished powers wouldn't make him seem like one link above Amaarii in the food chain.

"Greetings, I am Lionheart and I am not from around these parts. I am not entirely sure what these parts are, but I am looking for a friend..." Lionheart wasn't sure if being honest was the best policy despite what he had heard Mothers typically tell their children. Nonetheless, it seemed like playing fast and loose with people who could read minds was probably not going to get far.

"I mean you know harm and am here to help..." Lionheart let that trail off. He had to know a little bit more before he offered anything else. After all, as a stranger in an even stranger land, it was hard to shake the feeling that he didn't yet know who to trust. Besides if their numbers had dwindled because they struggled to survive then perhaps they, like Lionheart were also trapped here?

Lionheart needed to find out more...

Sj

"Another stranger. Interesting. Especially so as we thought we had already come across you. Perhaps I should explain."

The voice inside Lionhearts head continued. "My people are linked psychically. One mind, one vision, one people. Many other races sought to discover the source of our abilities and we were outcast, escaping across this universe and becoming scattered. Separate, we are weaker and easily picked off by superior numbers or technology. We are tired of running, but not yet ready to die. I digress."

"Some of my people, in the search for food..." Lionheart sensed an attention shift to his blue skinned ally... "came across outlanders, like yourself. One was small, and its mind was powerful indeed, but jumbled. We have no idea what 'Coronation Street' is, but it missed it greatly. The other? It was like you, but different. Ambitious, hostile, aggressive. It attacked the small scouting party that came across it and our mind was diminished further. When we sensed you our immediate thought was to attack, but your spirit shines through. A desire to... battle injustice, we sense?"

"We are few, and getting fewer. Do not mistake us for being weak, however. We have assessed your strength, and feel that should we attack, we might suffer losses but would overpower you. We do not, however, sense that you mean us harm. Therefore, we have a suggestion. A ... coalition, of sorts, in order to escape this world of poison and find a home for our people somewhere, before we are wiped out. We sense you are looking for the 'Coronation Street' being? And the other one, who is like you but not. We will help you find them, but I cannot guarantee the safety of the mind warrior."

"One other thing. My people are hungry. Can we have the native who travels with you, and do you know where there may be more? they are extremely elusive and nomadic, and one of the few things on this world that serves as food."

Lionheart got an image in his mind of roast chicken, and glanced at his companion...

Admin wrote:"Another stranger. Interesting. Especially so as we thought we had already come across you. Perhaps I should explain."

“Oh boy”, Lionheart couldn’t help but think as the Aliens thought of take away.

"Well I am afraid that, that is totally out of the question. Whilst I fully appreciate the needs of you all, there has to be another way to manage. My short friend, as you noticed has much in the way of understanding and wisdom. I am sure he can be a source of help, not only for you to eat, but to gain a sustainable source of food without resorting to eating sentient alien life forms."

Lionheart didn’t take his eyes off his potential new allies, knowing that they might try to get the jump on him. Hunger did strange things to people in need and he didn’t want to see his ‘friend’ become their solution to their hunger problems.

"Rest assured, if anyone can solve not only your temporary need, but how to keep you fighting fit, Wandafar can. But not without my say so, so let’s indeed have a team up –so long as you respect that this alien and her people are under my protection. I owe her my life, understand."

OOC: Hopefully not only do they understand, but the added bonus of Wandafar’s long term help might settle things for the time being. Hopefully if I can catch up with my diminutive friend quickly, we can start to get some traction here to move forward and get off this planet to find the others.

Sj

The newcomers glanced at one another. Lionheart knew they communicating but he was excluded from this exchange.

Noting the reaction of the newcomers in case they decided to act, he couldn't help but note several longing glances in the direction of his nervous companion.

The reply came... what would it be?

'We have... decided. We have no reason to trust you, stranger, and yet your aura suggests we should do. However, note this. If you fail to complete your side of the bargain, assuming we lead you to your companions and they cannot provide the food you seek, we will be as enemies. We will not take your... friend... from you by force and will honour the agreement until such time both parties are satisfied with the outcome, or until one side cannot fulfil their obligation. Rest assured we shall fulfil ours. I hope for your sake...' the Alien glanced to the side, back at his/her companions and Lionheart knew the words he was hearing were for his 'ears' only '...and for mine, for persuading my people to go hungry for a while longer... that your friend can provide as you say...' With a slight nod the alien turned back to their companions and they seemed to relax, lowering their weapons. Albeit with hungry glances at the blue skinned female...

For her part the alien girl saw the weapons drop and relaxed... a little. Oh boy...

=========

Several hours later Lionheart tried to quell his impatience.

The psychics used a form of telekinesis to float above the ground but needed to stop frequently for rests, even though they covered ground at the rate of more than 50mph by Lionhearts reckoning. Not bad in jungle terrain, but he was reminded they were in hostile terrain. Not only from the occasional fly over of a scout ship at high speed but from the flora and fauna of this place. Man eating plants, poisonous thorns, elephant sized tigers, trees which tried to grab those who came within range of their branches...

His Danger Sense, whilst vastly diminished, still warned him constantly. Fist sized mosquitos plagued their movements and one of the Psychics collapsed, doubtless from hunger, which caused the others to look longingly at the blue skinned alien woman.

Then came a 'call' to stop, and Lionheart crept over a ridge to look beyond...

It was the scene of a battle, and it was taking place on a higher plane!

Dozens of the psychic aliens were formed into a circle and blasting mental energy at a being in the centre of them - one that looked all too familiar to Lionheart - SALADIN!



By Saladins' feet was the limp form of Lionhearts' friend, WANDAFAR!

The psychics around Lionheart immediately turned to face him... the next few moments would define whether there would be silent death... or uneasy peace! All the while Saladin repelled and fought back against the mental attacks, but even from here Lionheart could tel he was losing!

Admin wrote:By Saladins' feet was the limp form of Lionhearts' friend, WANDAFAR!

The psychics around Lionheart immediately turned to face him... the next few moments would define whether there would be silent death... or uneasy peace! All the while Saladin repelled and fought back against the mental attacks, but even from here Lionheart could tell he was losing!

Even Lionheart struggled not to express a groan at the scene before him. The old, old expression of falling from a cooking implement into a crude heat source, came unbidden to mind.

"Well, if you’d like a more permanent solution to your current extinction crisis, you’ll trust me. That is Saladin, my arch enemy, and at his feet is one of my few friends - Wandafar. The very one who can out think all of us regarding a solution to your pressing need for sustenance. Now you can expend what precious energy you have left fighting Saladin. And he will make you pay, make no mistakes. He is ruthless, but not suicidal, he will call for a truce until such a time as it helps him betray us. But right now, we’ve got to play the hand that is dealt us. If you want to survive beyond your next meal…"

At which point Lionheart made a meaningful motion toward his alien companion.

"…Then going in heavy isn’t going to work. I can reason with Saladin and attempt to get help. If all else fails, you can take us all down and you get your next meal. But my way is the smart way, and I imagine you guys are shrewd enough to realise you’ve not got much to play with here. Your call…"

Lionheart didn’t honestly think they’d turn on him, not after trusting him thus far. They’d seen inside his head and knew his intentions and character. But Saladin couldn’t be trusted further than Lionheart could spit in a headwind. Getting a shot at calling a truce was one thing, making sure he had both us on his canny enemy, was another. Saladin would pursue a truce only so long as it served his own intentions. But Lionheart had to find out if Wandafar was ok, or all of their hides might as well be on the line…

Sj