Lost in Dreams (Amy)

[ericthered]

Amy uses her lookout to scan for good spots. No area seems free of the pods: she can only check the beach visually, but they're denser on this side of the island than on the east side.

She is able to pick up a few food plants here and there as she moves.

From the lookout, she spots an overhang. Its on the other slope (which is why she can see it), so it will be tricky to get to, but at least its there.


She tries not to get lost in the forest canopy on the way over. She thinks she's lost for a moment, but then she tries just one ridge over, and she thinks she can see the cliff through the tree tops.

But then she smells smoke. She thinks its coming from the direction she's heading.

[Anaya]

Amy found no promising prospects. She'd just have to settle for an average one. The overhang would at least provide some shelter. With a weary sigh, she set off. She carefully threaded her way through the forest. Would she even manage to reach that slope without being waylaid? The pods were so numerous. It felt as if nowhere was safe.

The pessimistic prediction soon came true. Amy's nose alerted her to yet another pod ahead; Freshly arrived, from the smell of it. The smoke brought back bad memories. Was this one full of corpses too? Amy didn't intend to find out. Her stealth skills were sorely lacking. If she strayed close enough to take a peek, then she'd be easy for any survivors to spot (and possibly shoot). Best to steer clear. Making sure not to lose her way, she gave the area as wide a berth as she could manage. She focused on reaching her original destination.

This necessary paranoia was so frustrating. Amy wanted to check on the pod. She wanted to see whether its inhabitants were all right. She wanted to offer help and companionship. But every single person on this island except her was a soldier. They were obsessed with killing or dominating anyone in the 'wrong' uniform. She wanted no part of their pointless turf war. Being a lonely hermit promised to be sad and pathetic. But it was still better than the bloodstained alternative.

[ericthered]

The smoke is natural-smelling, like wood, not acrid. Its also coming from the exact spot she was trying to get to.

[Anaya]

...Huh. Amy didn't know what to make of this. Had someone deliberately started a fire? That seemed like a poor strategic decision. Moreover, it was coming from her exact destination. Now that she was at ground level again, finding a new goal would be tricky. After some hesitation, Amy reluctantly headed towards the smoke. Scouting it carried plenty of risk; But so did wandering blindly.

[ericthered]

Amy creeps in close, and spots what only can be described as a camp.

Its an Aisan-looking man (who knows if that matters here) and two of the long lanky four-armed aliens Talc called "Kolipods". They are wearing diamonds on their uniforms, that is, Stellar Guardian uniforms: the same outfit who lost a Tortholite and gun to a vine. They're sitting around a fire, and the fire has row after row of meat strips impaled by stakes. Amy can see the corpse the meat came from. It has something similar to feathers, six limbs, and was perhaps the size of a bear. The skeleton is weird and alien, but it is a skeleton of sorts, and the meat smells good through all the smoke.

[Anaya]

Well, so much for that. Amy retreated immediately. Maybe she could circle around the newfound camp, and continue past it. She'd just have to wander blindly after that. Frustration and despair intermingled. Even her most basic plans always fell apart. She just wanted to survive! Was that so much to ask? It's not as if there even were any higher ideals to pursue. No matter how long she spent on this planet, an objective beyond survival never emerged. Amy suspected that it never would.

She trudged onwards. Keep walking. Follow the mountain's outline. Maybe there'd be a cave; Or a hole; Or something...

[ericthered]

Amy eventually finds a large bare rock that might be dry under when it rains. She's high up in the mountain at this point, and the sun is going down-- remember its a short day around here.

She finds another overlook, where she can see three pods: the crimson fleet people, hers, and two others to the north. This is the other side of the island again. She can't see many pods in the jungle. the two pods on the north of the crimson fleet look like they match the crimson fleet pod.

[Anaya]

As sunset approached, Amy found somewhere to rest. Her standards had plummeted lately, to the point that a large rock actually felt like decent accommodation. She crawled beneath it and made herself 'comfortable'. Time to grab a few hours of sleep; Or more than a few, if her insomnia would permit it.

[ericthered]

Amy climbs under the rock and falls asleep. She sleeps well. no insomnia. No prophetic dreams. Just sleep.

She wakes when the sun is up again. She's hungry. And Thirsty. And there is a weird hairy starfish climbing across her body. She only grabbed about a day's worth of food, but at least she now knows how to use the stove and canteen.

[Anaya]

Amy awoke refreshed and ready to face the new day. This feeling lasted approximately three seconds: I.E, the amount of time required to notice the hairy starfish.

"Gyah!"

She frantically separated herself from the creature. This was the problem with nobody keeping watch! Any alien interloper was free to wander in while she slept. Amy watched the starfish from a safe distance. Was it actively moving towards her? If so, she'd make herself scarce. If not, she'd just keep an eye on it while she made breakfast.

As expected, supplies were low. She only had a day's worth of food; Plus a few extra plants that she'd gathered. Amy separated a portion, and cooked herself a modest meal. She accompanied it with a few careful swigs from her canteen. Her priorities for today were pretty much set: Find more food and water. That might well be tomorrow's plan too. Survival was a full time job. She surveyed the forest for signs of a river. That'd be a decent first step. With luck, she'd hopefully pick up a few plants along the route.