Lieutenant JG Roy Bancroft - Jump! Jump! Jump!
Carter Schimpff
(( Fohledi Nature Reserve – Rylor ))
Bergmen: So what trail should we choose?
A sly grin spread across the doctor’s face.
Bancroft: I think we’ve established that these things can move. ::looking up at the other two:: Let’s see what they can do. Something slightly more ambitious?
He gestured in the direction of the mountain trail.
Imril: ::Putting the bottle away:: Sounds good to me.
Bergmen: Response
Roy shrugged, his grin widening.
Bancroft: I mean, if that’s what y’all can handle…
Imril: I’m pretty sure we can handle whatever this mountain has.
Bergmen: Response
Imril slipped their helmet back on; Roy followed, visor lowering with a soft, decisive click. A single finger from the Bactrican engineer signaled forward – then came the spray of dust and grit as they launched.
Roy gave a small, noncommittal shrug and rolled on the throttle, falling in behind.
Bancroft: =/\= Alright then. =/\=
Bergmen: Response
The trail answered Roy’s earlier curiosity with what could generously be described as enthusiasm.
It steepened, then tightened – curves stacking into one another as trees pressed close and the ground shifted unpredictably beneath him. Hard-packed dirt gave way to uneven patches and back again, demanding constant adjustment. Roy obliged, if not with grace, then at least with consistency. It wasn’t elegant, but it was at least controlled.
The next feature made its case more clearly.
A rise in the trail terminated in a clean break of earth – tempting, in the way that poor decisions often are. Beyond it, the path resumed briefly before bending into a turn that arrived sooner than seemed entirely reasonable.
There was a safer line: the left one. The sensible one.
He tracked the jump instead – lip, landing, turn – measuring what he could, and making a quiet peace with the rest.
Then he committed.
The approach came quickly. The incline helped. And then the ground simply… wasn’t there.
For a brief, clarifying moment: the engine unburdened, the absence of resistance, the distinct possibility he’d been slightly optimistic.
The landing arrived with enthusiasm.
The rear wheel kicked once before finding purchase, the bike surging forward into the turn. Roy corrected – late, but intact – leaning just enough to stay upright as the trail carried him on.
Bancroft: =/\= That… seemed like a good idea at the time. =/\=
Bergmen: Response
Imril: =/\= Looks like part of the mountain has collapsed up ahead. Can anybody confirm? =/\=
Bancroft: =/\= Yeah, I see it. Throttle back for a sec, let’s take stock here. =/\=
Bergmen: Response
As the group slowed, they drifted into formation – no longer racing, but rolling forward in a loose, controlled line.
Roy glanced left – Imril – then right – Bergmen – before keying his HUD and bringing the terrain into sharper relief.
The trail didn’t so much end as it appeared to have reconsidered its commitment to existing.
What had once been a clean run of packed earth now broke abruptly into a fresh-cut gap, the edges still raw and uneven. His display resolved it quickly: just over two meters across, with a slight upward pitch on the approach – enough to help, assuming the ground held.
Assuming anything here held.
Roy exhaled once, thoughtful rather than concerned.
Bancroft: =/\= I’m reading just over two meters on that gap, slight incline on the approach. In theory, that’s helpful. In practice… I have questions. =/\=
Bergmen/Imril: Response
A thin veil of dust drifted lazily across the gap, catching the light – evidence of movement that hadn’t quite settled.
Bancroft: =/\= I’m sorry, you said how fast? =/\=
There was a version of this where everything went smoothly.
Roy strongly suspected they were not currently in that version.
Bergmen/Imril: Response
A faint crack echoed somewhere ahead – sharp, dry, and gone just as quickly.
On Roy’s HUD, one of the trail markers jittered… then dropped a fraction lower.
Bancroft: =/\= Fair warning – the mountain’s still shifting. If we’re going to do something, we probably shouldn’t take too long deciding. =/\=
Bergmen/Imril: Response
TAG/TBC!
===
Lieutenant JG Roy Bancroft
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205RB1