Lt JG Imril - Higher Ground
Chris Taylor
(( Fohledi Nature Reserve, Rylor ))
Bergmen: =/\= Yeah, agree. There is nothing on the navigator, so whatever it is, it’s recent. =/\=
The group eased their pace and fell into line as they approached the area that the HUD had alerted them about. It looked as though some great hand had simply swatted away some of the mountainside. (No word on whether or not said hand was green, glowing, and disembodied from an arm).
Imril’s HUD provided soe of the finer details. The gap measured just over two meters wide, with a slight incline leading up to it—enough to help a jump over the gap, as long as the ground was stable. Which was assuming a lot.
Roy’s thoughtful exhalation could be heard over the comm channel.
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: =/\= Like why? How? Et cetra? Science would have Hogday seeing this. (beat) Don’t worry, doctor, with the speed and a leap of faith, we should be able to jump over it. =/\=
A line of dust escaped from a gap in the trail. The mountain itself expressing whimsy at Ollie’s pronouncement.
Bancroft: =/\= I’m sorry, you said how fast? =/\=
Ollie must have done the calculation in his head, for a confirmed speed never came out of his communicator.
Bergmen: =/\= Yeah, that’s about right. (beat) Maybe we should back off a bit and aim for more, just to be in a safe margin. =/\=
A sudden sound and a flash from Imril’s HUD indicated a further droop in the trail. Not so much an expansion of the gap between one end of road and the other, but a depending of the gulf in between. Loose dirt and stone flowed down the gully in haphazard rolls. Carrying sticks and clusters of grass with it, which in turn kicked one of the unearthed trail markers further down the incline as well.
Bancroft: =/\= Fair warning – the mountain’s still shifting. If we’re going to do something, we probably shouldn’t take too long deciding. =/\=
Bergmen: =/\= Okay, time for a leap of fate - if I make it, follow me! =/\=
Imril would have been tempted, if not for the novice rider in the group. This was jump was probably more advanced than Roy signed up for.
Imril: Are you sure that’s--
Ollie revved the engine and pushed it to full throttle. The bike immediately surged forward, charting the course for all.
Bergmen: =/\= Bad idea. It was a bad idea! =/\=
Imril: ::Shaking his head:: =/\= Bad idea. =/\=
Bancroft: Response
Ollie did well in shifting his weight to control their arc, but it was not enough to cover the distance. The back wheel hit the edge of the ravine, sinking deep into the deteriorating dirt. Earth bled away under the tire, crumbling down the fragile edge. Leaving Imril to imagine the sight of Ollie following after all of that fallen debris.
His bike cried angrily, defiantly, and at last found surer traction. And too much of it: the bike jolted up and forward and the already-leaning Gideonite was sent off his balance. Bike and man flipped over, and Imril’s breath caught in their throat. But Ollie controlled his unexpected descent like an old pro. Coming down well out of range of the bike, and apparently without injury.
Bergmen: =/\= Go, go, ok’am ok, just go! =/\=
Imril didn’t need the HUD to tell that the jump had just gotten that much longer, that much trickier to land. But it told them, anyway. There was no abandoning Ollie, obviously, but there had to be a more reliable way to get across to him.
They looked for something that would provide firmer ground to traverse, and found it among the trees lining both sides of the newly-discovered trench. Whatever had happened to the mountain, it hadn’t been enough to uproot very many of them. Not at this elevation, at least.
Imril: ::To Bergman:: =/\= Don’t worry, Ollie! We’ll get to you! =/\= ::Pointing up the slope to trace a path for Bancroft:: =/\= The trees above are still holding the earth together. It’s the opposite of a shortcut, but stable ground is stable ground. I’ll scout ahead. =/\=
They turned their wheel perpendicular to the gap, facing a trail-less slope, and made for higher ground. Weaving between trees until they got high enough to reach a point where there was no gap at all. Across this they rode, mindful of how much dirt their tires were kicking up. There was some shaking underneath them, a sort of lazy shrug of the mountain as it decided what to do with itself. But the ground held long enough to get across.
Ollie was almost directly below them, now.
Bancroft/ Bergman: Response
Imril: =/\= So far, so good. Headed down. If I keep going when I reach you, don’t try to catch me. =/\=
Getting down without smacking into something was the tricky bit. Gravity and rough terrain conspired against Imril to send their vehicle towards tree trunks faster than they would have liked. They spent the ride in a slalom, sharp angles and carefully controlled reversals. Bringing one foot or the other down into the ground itself here and there, to further break their momentum. Keeping their speed down just enough that they would be able to stop when and where they wanted to.
Bancroft/Bergman: Response
When they reached the space that Ollie had made for himself, their legs were covered in brambles and bright marks where various bits of nature had nearly slashed their pants. Their boots were scuffed and chipped enough that they were now fated to end the day in the replimat matter recycler.
They stopped their bike and let it tumble to the side when they stepped off to reach Ollie. They tossed off their helmet so that they could look him over with unobstructed eyes. Knowing well enough that sometimes when someone took a fall like that, they only thought they’d taken no damage.
They reached out to Ollie, wanting to offer comfort, but stopped themself from touching him. For fear of introducing him to an injury he didn’t yet know he had.
Imril: ::Quite concerned:: You sure you’re OK, Ollie?
Bancroft/Bergman: Response
((OOC: I tried to word this post in a way that doesn’t take away Roy’s option to jump the gap while Imril’s taking the long way. ))
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant JG Imril
Engineering Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240110I12