The Journals of Ashton Frost, Part Five
Dawn had broken on Arrakoth. The flames had died down and a plume of oily smoke continued to emanate from the mouth of the cave. We knew the patrol would see it - they had been gone for some time already and were likely due to return any moment now.
It might have been safer for us to lie in wait and eliminate the scouts when they arrived, but we needed to get away from the scene in case we were spotted. We mounted up and headed slowly back to the Acheron. Though the hot sun and dusty winds might become brutal, we needed to be able to hear the approaching scouts before they heard us.
It was difficult to decide whether to kill the scouts, or to leave them alive to spread the rumor on their return to Redhaven. After our prior conversation, I didn't want to make a unilateral decision, so I asked Breaker what he thought. "Should we take these guys out, Breaker?"
[Ask the Oracle: "Should we confront the scouts?" 50/50, 12 = Yes]
"As much as I'd like to say we should let them live to tell the tale, there's too much at risk here. If they've found the Acheron, they'll link us to what happened - and then all you've done will be for naught. And it would put us at risk on Redhaven too. But we have to make sure we take them both out. If anyone got away, we'd have to chase them down - and those bikes can outrun this rover any day."
I had an idea. It was risky, but it could give us the chance to deal with them. I noticed an area where there were some smaller boulders high up the slopes of the canyon walls. We drove fifty meters ahead and backed into a small cave. I ran back to that spot and reached out with my hands and my mind to grasp the loose rocks above.
[Secure an Advantage: +Iron, +2 for Kinetic, -2 Momentum (-1). 3+2+2 vs 1 and 2. Strong Hit, +2 Momentum (+1), +1 to next roll.]
I wasn't familiar enough with this talent to lift even a single boulder of that size - but I didn't need to. I just needed to give them a nudge. I watched the small boulders bounce down the slope, breaking off larger rocks on the way down. I couldn't risk standing too close, but I wanted to make sure the rockfall was significant enough to cause the scouts to stop and investigate.
I ran back to the cave and gave Breaker a thumbs-up. We could hear the whine of the repulsor engines approaching. We drew our weapons and waited. A few minutes later, the bikes passed the cave. We could hear the whine of the engines slow to a halt. We crawled forward just far enough to get a line of sight on the pair. They had dismounted to investigate.
"Gorram it, Alisa. Looks like there was a rockslide." Why did people feel the need to state the obvious? "Keep your eyes open, Kirsa," the other scout said. Both of them looked up at the rim of the canyon, expecting a trap. We weren't going to be able to completely surprise them, but they were expecting an ambush from above, not from behind. We opened fire on them before they could turn to notice us.
[Battle: +Edge, 5+3+1 vs 7 and 2. Strong Hit. +2 Momentum (+3)]
Both scouts fell in a hail of gunfire before they were even aware of us. Now the matter remained of how to dispose of the scouts and their bikes. We dragged the bodies and the vehicles up to the pile of rocks and covered the blood trails with sand. I asked Breaker to wait back at the rover for safety. I assured him I was not going to do anything heinous, but we needed to make this look like another guerrilla attack. He stood back, watching me as I reached out once more with my mind.
[Secure Advantage: +Iron, +2 for Kinetic. -2 Momentum (+1). 3+2+2 vs 2 and 9. Weak Hit. +2 Momentum (+3)]
Fewer loose rocks remained above, but enough of them fell to convincingly smash the bikes and crush the riders. No warning glyphs were necessary - anyone examining the scene would conclude that the ambush had come from above. The blowing sands would conceal our trail soon enough. With all of the miners dealt with, we headed back to the safety of the ship.
[Set a Course: +Supply, 5+5 vs 3 and 5. Strong Hit, +1 Momentum (+4)]
In the daylight, we were able to see and avoid any hazards, so we made speedy progress back to the Acheron. We examined the area around our landing zone to see if the scouts had been here. They may have seen the trail of our engines as we had descended last night, and they had certainly been away from the camp long enough to have made it this far.
[Ask the Oracle: Had the scouts found our landing zone? Likely. 36 = Yes]
Looking around our landing zone, we noticed some footprints and signs of the dust that repulsor engines would kick up. I was glad we had decided to eliminate the scouts after all. They had even tried, unsuccessfully, to enter the ship. We rolled the rover into the vehicle bay and headed forward.
Breaker looked at me and wrinkled his nose. My clothes were heavily soiled, scorched and covered in blood. "I'll fly, Ash. How about you get your grimy ass back to the head, clean up and put on some clothes that don't make you look like a mass murderer?" That stung almost as much as the bullet wound in my arm, but I suppose I deserved it. We lifted off and I headed to the fresher in my quarters. The clothes were a total loss, and I did not want to keep them anyway. I tossed them all into the recycler and stepped into the shower. The cool water helped soothe the heat of the fire and the hot Arrakoth sun. I scrubbed away the dust, the soot and the blood, and then I treated my gunshot wound with the medkit. Thankfully, the shot had not inflicted a serious injury.
[Heal: +Wits, 5+2 vs 2 and 6. Strong Hit. +1 Health (+5)]
[Set a Course: +Supply, 2+5 vs 4 and 5. Strong Hit, +1 Momentum (+5)]
After my wound was cleaned and bound, I dressed in a fresh RMC flight suit. Breaker had guided us back to Redhaven without incident. No one had seen us travel to Arrakoth, and no one saw us return. We docked safely in Bay Nine, our mission accomplished.
Rumors are spread easily in spaceport bars. Spacers and miners are a superstitious lot, especially when they are already inclined to believe a tale. Soon, strangers would be telling their friends of the enigmatic nomads who wander the deserts of Arrakoth, punishing interlopers who dare to violate the sacred sands. When the miners failed to check in, their comrades would sneak off to Arrakoth to investigate. They would find obvious signs of horrific guerrilla attacks, and they would never intrude upon the desert world again.
[Mark Progress on Vow: "Uncover the Crimes of the Institute and Bring It Down", +1 tick (4)]
[Ending Stats: Momentum +5 Health +5 Spirit +4 Supply +5 Fire 0 Fugitive 1]