Session 29 (8 December 2023)

Location: Kuyt highport (Far Home 0728)

Date: 170–5600

Travellers: Griff Kodiak (gunner), Torka Jax (security), Nogudnyk (steward)

You've agreed to tag four of the endangered air whales of Kuyt on behalf of a local conservation group, SPAWK. 

You take a shuttle down to the surface, carrying only what is legally permissible on this medium-law-level world: a shotgun, a sword, a cricket bat. In the backrooms of SPAWK's offices, you are outfitted with the gear you'll need: two vacc suits with integrated grav "belts" (really harnesses that are secured around torso, waist, and pelvis) adorned with fake wings and helmets that mimic the profile and plumage of the native kringula; four tracking devices designed to be slipped into the folds behind an air whale's eye; and a five-seat air/raft with a sensor suite tailored to detecting movement in the dense clouds and electromagnetic radiation of Kuyt's atmosphere. In addition to the six hours of oxygen in your suits' tanks, you have several spare tanks that you secure in the empty seats of the air/raft. Shortly after dawn, you're aloft, soaring amongst mountain-sized cumulous clouds in search of the elusive air whales.

At first you spot nothing but kringula, flying singly or in small flocks. It's a good sign: the roughly human-sized birds are favoured prey of the massive whales. Soon enough, one of the great creatures emerges from a cloud bank. You swoop in to do your work.

Disguised as a kringula, you try to keep ahead of a hungry Kuytian air whale.

Griff, in one of the kringula suits, flies in front of the whale to catch its attention. Success! The leviathan changes course to pursue the tantalizing snack. Nogudnyk, in the other suit, is in position to attach the tracker, but the imminent peril facing Griff causes them to act rashly. Wedging the device in place, Nogudnyk shoots out in front of the whale, pushing Griff aside. The whale now has a new target, and one that is less well suited to the evasive maneuvering needed to avoid becoming breakfast! Fortunately for Nogudnyk, the whale's giant toothy maw clamps shut just short of their heels. You quickly zoom away and put some distance between yourselves and the majestic predator. There's a brief, emotional exchange between the two flyers: it seems that the danger you are facing is causing some feelings of attraction to surface...

Meanwhile, at the controls of the air/raft, Torka puts a new strategy into effect: broadcasting recordings of air whale mating calls. It works! Soon enough, you've located and tagged yet another whale.

Griff and Nogudnyk decide to switch roles for the next one: Nogudnyk will be bait and Griff does the tagging. The two fake kringula come together in the skies to pass over the tracking device. The gloves come off, their hands touch ... Over in the air/raft, Torka considers turning off the comms so as not to not have to listen to the awkward flirting. In the upper atmosphere of an alien planet, no one can see you blush.

The next sensor contact turns out to be something new: an armoured grav vehicle with an enormous harpoon gun mounted on top, aimed by a figure whose upper body emerges from a hatch on the roof. Poachers! You quickly dive into a cloud bank to avoid the menacing craft. You assume they'd seen you, but they decline to pursue: instead, they follow a flock of kringula. 

The kiloseconds pass and you luck out: not one but two air whales heave into view. One responds to the recorded mating calls while the other seems disinterested. Torka maneuvers the air/raft to gently nudge the reluctant creature in the back and succeeds it getting its attention. In short order, you tag the pair. Your work is done, but before you can zoom away, the poachers return. The grav tank closes in on the last whale you've tagged. The harpooner lines up the shot ....

Suddenly Griff swoops in and wrenches the harpoon gun aside on its swivel mount. The astonished gunner is caught off guard by the aggressive kringula -- "Wait, that's no bird!"  He pulls a slugthrower from the holster at his waist and levels it at Griff. The projectile strikes the burly ex-marine squarely in the chest but fails to penetrate the tough weave of the vacc suit. Griff figures there's going to be a nasty bruise and possible some hairline fracturing.

Meanwhile, Nogudnyk flies to the aft of the grav tank and lays into the exposed sensor array with their cricket bat. It does enough damage to put their systems out of commission for the moment. These poachers won't be hunting any more today until they effect some repairs.

The gunner tries to line up another shot at Griff, who now has his shotgun in hand. Griff manages to shoot first. [Natural 12, boxcars ⚅⚅] The gunner's helmet explodes into fragments suspended in a bloody mist, quickly swept away by rushing air. The headless torso slumps down into the hatch. 

You've fulfilled your contract with Dr Eromosele and SPAWK and you've taught the poachers a lesson they won't soon forget. Will you return to your patron now or do you have other plans?

Image credits: Kringula suit and cloud worm created with AI Comic Factory.