(OOC) The Scout's Guide to the Multiverse ☺

[the_matrix_walker]

Red Planet - Peter Nichols of Mars

People of Interest-
Sam Armstrong - Martian Military Yaka Fighter, Peter's first Yaka instructor
Michael Williamson - Martian Military who is a "High Priority Target" for undisclosed reasons.
Haverson - The original scout, lost when Williamson was injured.
Corporal Cole - Officer on patrol that escorts them to camp, from the 237th royal dragoons
Colonel Whitmore - Armstrong's CO, seems to understand Williamsons' significance.

Master West - Peter's Yaka instructor from Virginia

Spoiler:  

Originally Posted by ericthered

He dreams of a vast red plains, with strange low red shrubs growing on it. Soldiers marched across it in widely spaced columns, wearing dark green uniforms and carrying riffles and bayonets. Behind them were several pillars of smoke, marking their progress across the land.


He dreams of a fortress still standing amid the smoke. Its surrounded by trenches, cannon, and soldiers. Its defended by men in faded Red Uniforms, though mostly they watch each other and take long shots at each other.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Peter's view shifts to the fortress, and a grizzled old general. He's writing what appears to be a letter or memoir. He writes about the supply situation (not quite bad yet), the strength of the fortress, and his hopes for relief. Everything depends on one of several messengers getting through, and on the Royal Alliance having a relief force. If not, he is resigned to waste as much of the enemy's time and manpower as possible.

Then his view shifts to a set of ruins, with two men camping in them, a low and meager fire near them. Both carry firearms with complex locks*, and one man carries an impossibly long and thin sword. The other man has a large blood stain and bandage on his right arm. They are wearing the red faded uniforms.

His view shifts to a group of five men in the dark dull green uniforms with three dogs, tracking something.

*These are early breachloaders, so think wild west "repeaters".

OCC: Red soil is all over the place: southern Utah, the Australian Outback, Alabama... brown is the color of decaying matter, not of rock, sand and clay.

From his Visions. Peter knows that there is a war of some kind happening, and it looks like Red is the home team, and green the invaders. The home team has a fort under siege and in need of help and the mission to get reinforcements is in peril.

He awakens not far from where two soldiers are encamped, one is injured with a gunshot wound to the arm. Peter approaches and introduces himself, offering to help. Armstrong is a Yaka, a user of the local magic, and the fighter of the group. The injured man, Williamson, is under his care. Peter is able to scavenge some local plants to serve in the place of incense for his Broken World healing magic, and with some exertion, the man is healed. Armstrong loans him a shirt and handkerchief to cover up. Armstrong explains he's a combat Yaka user, but never learned healing. He is able to demonstrate what de does know, and Peter picks it up very quickly.

Spoiler:  

Originally Posted by ericthered

Williamson is healed.

Armstrong: "You know, the blade, the armor, the shield, and the voice. what do you want to see?"

Armstrong demonstrates the blade first: the narrow sword he carries isn't useful in combat... unless its strengthened by Yaka. Peter feels the power flow out of Armstrong and into the sword as Armstrong uses it to cut a few slices off of a nearby masonry wall. At the same time, it's flowing into his coat... especially into the wires. Armstrong isn't sure how he can demonstrate the "Armor", but says its the same effect as the blade, just defensive.

The shield is an effect that creates some sort of deflective bubble around Armstrong. He has Peter throw a rock at him and it veers off to the side. The magic is again unique, but looks similar to the magic in the blade and armor.

The Voice is a mental effect. Armstrong says he doesn't want to use it because it might compromise their position, but it effects the minds of those around him. The most common ones are "Flee!", "Down!", "Listen!", "Surrender!", and "Calm!"

The effects Armstrong doesn't know are healing and "of course, the door".

When morning comes, Armstrong prepares breakfast and Williamson discovers inact structures in the ruins and takes Peter to investigate. There they find some furniture that Peter is able to strip cloth from for additional makeshift clothing. He investigate what appears to be a wireless light fixture that he is able to activate shunting magic into, the technology here is unfamiliar. Williamson suggests they avoid the patrol using the the structure, but Peter points out the time sensitive nature of the mission means they can't get pinned down and they elect to press on.

They have lost their scout and ask if Peter can serve in his stead. He get's the rest of the details of the mission.

Spoiler:  

Originally Posted by ericthered

Armstrong: "We think General Tessel is 20 degrees north of West, around Fort Kasei. Towards that mountain" He points.

Armstrong Grimaces: "Fort Roberts was besieged on the 20th of October by about 40,000 republican troops, mostly Greek and African, with a full siege train but only about 1500 cavalry. The 10,000 men in fort Roberts can probably hold out until mid February"

While travelling along a ravine, a patrol on horseback is seen in the distance ahead of them in their path. With the mission at stake, Peter separates from the group and allows himself to be "found" by the patrol, and he wastes as much of their time as he can begging for food, water and directions to a town, while Peter's companions made their way around the patrol outside of the ravine's edge. Once the patrol will be stalled no longer, Peter heads for the village slowly enough to allow his new friends to catch up.

They camp outside of the village and Peter goes in to trade on their behalf to keep the villagers safe from being harassed for their interaction with the soldiers. They see a patrol headed their way and assume they are tracking with dogs, and the group decides to try and outpace them. They go through the town and pass through animal pens to shake their scent trails and make off into the savannah, away from any eyes on the road.

They travel through the night into morning, and press on through the day until they finally come upon a friendly patrol. They are taken to a barn to recover and spend the night. Peter harrasses Armstrong to demonstrate the Voice now that they are in friendly territory and he finally does. Peter tries to use it immediately without training and impresses Armstrong by surprisingly being able to make him twitch. Despite the fatigue from the day and lack of sleep, Peter pushes it a few more hours for practicing what he's learned and meditating. Peter warns the men there is some possibility he will be gone in the morning, and not to worry if he is.

Peter goes to sleep, and he does dream...

.