Supercape

Initiative vs Sandworm: 1d20+5 14 If he wins, he will simply ready an action - namely fire gun - if the Sandworm attacks (or more precisely, if it bursts through the sand looking to attack). As X-Ray Vision in play, I guess he will have a pretty good guess from a metre or two away if its opening its jaws to snap or something. I trust your judgement to do whatever is most dramatic!

"Heads up!" shouted Starshot, although he realised there was nowhere to actually run. He unslung Trigger in a smooth motion and powered the old gun up. "Wakey wakey! Time to shoot! shoot! SHOOT 'EM UP!" screamed the gun, as its power cells sparked into action. "Something underground! I'm guessing its not a friend. You know, the other one!" he yelled as he pointed Trigger downwards. Despite the screaming of his insane weapon, he held back on the trigger. He had seen plenty of aliens in his life, and appearances could be deceptive. Still, he wasn't going to take any chances...his finger was at the ready...

Paydirt! he thought to himself, ruefully. He imagined mountains of pure diamond or other precious material, of incalculable value. He loosened his jacket in the heat, feeling the cybernetic motors whirring in him. A few black discs over his body were pumping our heat ferociously. Visions of diamond mountains were a silly fantasy, of course. But it kept his spirits up. He wondered, for a moment, if they would be refracting the blue sunlight, potentially burning them up. He pointed out the mountains to Soleen and Laark. "There, see those mountains? something strange about them, like a crystal..." he explained. On another day, in an ATV, he would have investigated. But crystals were unlikely to give them food, or water, or, for that matter, shelter from the sun. "Lets keep moving" he said, trying to keep spirits up.

Tempted as she was to make Tazel burn for the sound, she asked Billy to stop. "Best skip the Queen, Billy. Not that I don't appreciate the tunes, its just that I'd rather not attract attention. Silence, just sometimes, is golden" she explained. It was the best sort of lie. Namely, the truth. But something was fishy here. Why was Tazel being so...obtuse? Had he taken a sudden dislike to a dead rock star? She contemplated the matter as the wheels spun and the bicycle propelled them onwards,guided by the stone.

What burns, you wretched thing? hissed Carmen through her blood and into her belly. I can hardly quench a flame when I cannot see it! she added angrily. The torment of Tazel was a conflicting thing. She though of him as pure spite and twisted selfishness, but was also uncomfortable at his slavery. The hail was annoying, and she had half a mind to fire Tazel up, and warm her guts.

The moons were at least beautiful. Starshot even spent a minute, pausing for breath, admiring them without the HUD display. As advanced as his helm was, he craved unfiltered air and the unfiltered sight. He could feel his joints beginning to complain. But it was only the first irritants of what would be a long journey. He hoped that the Jungle would offer some respite, for he suspected the three of them would be run ragged by the time they arrived. Silently, he pressed on. By his judgement, they needed to cross the desert as fast as possible, including through the day. A blistering and dry as that might be, it would be better than dragging things out.

Starshot checked what he could, and made sure he drunk all that he could possibly drink before setting off. His cybernetic implants would keep him cool, but he still needed water. He lead the way, stepping out to the rolling sand and dunes. With a touch of a button, his helmet slid down over his face and head. The readouts flipped into place. Most importantly, the navigational system, a precise map of the ground they covered. After all, they would need to find the Xeno later. Hopefully. "Let's go" he said grimly, and started trudging through the desert...

And but a wee moment later... Into the shop, a pirate appeared! Flintlock staggered just a slight as she came in, knocking a few books of their shelf. She was feeling refreshed. That is to say, she was feeling drunk. In her hand, a silver salt shaker, full of the most wonderful sparkling ashes. Faerie dust. "Good morning to ye, good morning to ye!" she slurred. "Sorry for the delay, I had to stop off fer navigational purpose, and I took time to make sure I was lubricated!" she declared. "Helps with ma focus!" she explained, unhelpfully, shaking some dust out of her shaker.

GM "Mister...." the man paused. "....Smith" he answered, as an anticlimax. He smiled without mirth. "I shall be sure to keep you in mind" he added, turning curtly, and treading out of the shop like a wounded soldier. His urn was still under his arm, and the amorphous black odour kept oozing forth. There was a kind of wet, rotting smell as he left, that reminded one of sunken marshes and sucking mud full of decay. As if the bottom of the ocean had been dredged up to the surface and with it every muck-ridden aberration that lived in those unseen furrows.

Edit made. Save the ATV for another day

"Right then, get to pedalling!" ordered Carmen, clutching her cane. She was feeling peculiarly sick of demons right now, and, despite the risk, decided not to let Tazel into her blood. Something about the fire and sweat of him in her made her spine itch right now. Something about it all made her crave cleanliness.. and she was not thinking about sweat and grime, nor the stains of blood. Come Freedom City, she would expel Tazel and be free of him, as long as she could. Which, intuition told her, would not be long. But some sanctuary would be nice. On the bicycle, she could feel the stone, and its sickening pull. Ignoring the nausea, she pointed Billy towards...

Ill edit accordingly, sorry! But for purposes of deciding what to do - how far across the desert is the jungle / lake?

"North East then..." decided Starshot. Freshwater, possible food, and even better, some signs of technology. Of course, it was a hazard. But then was sand and mountains. The strange mineral readings might mean something, but not to him. "Shut down what you can then. This ship isn't going anywhere" He turned his attention back to the ATV and the sand. They could cut there way out, but power was limited. Power was vital. "Lets suit and boot up. Its gonna be a helluva long trek..." he advised his crewmembers. "I won't lie, this is gonna hurt. Blisters and thirst. But we cant stay here". He took the best guess he could. Water, mainly. A few rations. Everything else stripped bare. Just his jacket, his helmet, and his gun...

Cheers, done a bit of narrative license downloading the readings to the Tank just to keep it sweet and efficient!

"Thank the stars" breather Starshot, kicking the alien sand from his boots. "Soreen, any update on damage assessment? Water? Food? How bad is it?" he asked over the intercom. With a few more punches, he downloaded the sensor readings to the tank. The Xeno had a formidable sensor array; so necessary for a successful hunting trip, or indeed an exploration mission like this one. The Tank had a quite respectable system, but nowhere near as complete. Still, they could review the readings from the Tank's computer. "Lets see what we have..." he said, opening up the Tank and inviting Laark in. Time to look at what they had got themselves into...

Starshot did not even pause to wipe his sweat-ridden brow, let alone massage his aching muscles. His palms were cut and swollen from the effort. Laark was a strong one, no doubt, and he was glad the lug had joined the crew. The sand poured in. I hate sand! he cursed. It would get everywhere, in his body, in his helmet, in his gun, and, more worrisome, in his ship. At least the ATV hangar was relatively protected. Shifting his legs through the accumulating dunes, he moved upwards. "Get up, get up!" he shouted at Lark, and pointed at the ATV. Obeying his own command, he waded through the dust and into the tank.

"I'd rather not cut open my own ship. She's suffered enough" agreed Starshot with a smile, although he was not hopeful that even between them they could shift the door open. "Lets give it our best then" he ordered and setting down trigger. Cracking his knuckles, he took hold of the best hand holds he could find, and gave Laark the nod when he was ready. "Drei...Zwei...Ein...."

"Oh perfect. A fully functional ATV, but no way to get it out..." fumed Starshot, irritated. If the Xeno could not be repaired, the ATV was there best bet. The odds surviving a potentially endless desert trek were slim. "Let me see..." he grumbled, hauling himself down to the ATV hangar, and the door. He did not want to cut open the door manually, but it was certainly an option, if a time consuming one. The Xeno was not armed, but it was sturdy. They could open up the hangar and seal it off if they later needed to fly. Which, he conceded, they might well need to. "Can we cut it open? or are you strong enough to break it?" he asked the burly lump of alien muscle.

"Hear that?" asked Starshot, knowing full well the answer, this was the tall aliens type of planet. "Nothing...which means something", although what was very open to debate. But still, it was unlikely to be anything good. What was going on? "This Jungle doesn't feel natural" he mused, looking at the trees. Something above? something below? "Can you climb one of these trees and get a look? I'd like to know the lay of the land from above..."

Could be worse. But not much. Satisfied they were not about to be eaten, as Trigger pointed out, by Giant Sandworms, he went back inside the ruined Xeno and flipped on the com system. "Just sand and more sand out there. Good news is we can breathe. Bad news is water. There is none of it. So please tell me the hydrorecycler is online..." he said, fingers crossed. "If not, we best take the tank out and find some. First order of the day, water. Next, food. Then we can start thinking about repairs..."

1. Where is your hero from? Montreal, Canada. 2. How would your hero physically describe him/herself? Is this different from how others would? Short, fat, and ugly. Like everyone does. Because they have eyes. 3. Does your hero have distinguishing speech characteristics or recurring mannerisms? No 4. What is your hero's motivation? Enlighten the world, and create five dimensional television sets. 5. What are your hero's greatest strengths and weaknesses? Intelligence and (literal strength). Looking decidedly unheroic and people’s reaction is almost certainly the biggest weakness. Over-compensating, maybe? 6. What does your hero love? What does your hero hate? His biggest love is his wife, Dr Ruby Bolt. He also loves his family, and some good friends, and has a general ambient love for humankind! He hates destroyers and leeches of society. 7. How would you describe your character's mental and emotional state? Fairly grounded, but somewhat mercurial in interest. 8. What does your hero fear the most? Pain and death (for him and his loved ones). 9. What is your character's greatest ambition? Bring the world into the age of science and reason. And develop reliable hair regrowth formula. 10. How does your hero feel about the state of the world and his/her place in it? Doctor Warp feels he is one of the vanguard of a new and wonderful age for humankind. 11. Does your hero have any prejudices? How does he/she get along with others? Generally well once he has developed a relationship with people. He is slightly abrasive at first. He has no prejudices, other than possibly narcissistic body builders. 12. Where do your heroes loyalties lie? In what order? To his friends and family, then to the welfare of humankind. Little or no loyalty to organisations or countries (other than they represent the interests of humanity). 13. Does your hero have a lover or partner? How do they feel about the hero now? Yes, Doctor Ruby Bolt. They are very much in love. 14. Does your hero have a family? What is the relationship there like? Yes, and a general respectful one. His mother is loving but elderly, infirm, and irritable. His brother and sister are good looking geniuses who both look up to Dr Warp for his superior intellect and (perhaps) down him for being an ugly in your face guy. 15. How would the people closest to your hero describe him or her? Genius billionaire philanthropist. Short. 16. Is your hero a role model? Not really. He inspires science and heroics and is a role model to the aesthetically and vertically challenged. But nobody wants to look like him. 17. How spiritual is your hero? Does your hero follow a relgious tradition? No. 18. Is your hero part of a team, or would he/she like to be? Why? Possibly. The dice are out. 19. How does your hero feel about the place of metahumans and aliens on Earth? He has no particular objection, but is slightly suspicious of aliens. He has a loyalty to humans first. 20. If you could give one piece of advice to your hero, what would it be? Be media-savvy!

"Jawohl" replied Starshot, and started flipping switches, powering off as much as he could. The capture tanks, sensors, engines, even lighting. All he left on was the emergency lighting, doors, internal comms, and life support. "Someone check the tank, would you?" he asked. "I'm going to take a look outside". He flipped his helmet over his head. He hoped the atmosphere was normal, but he wasn't taking any chances right now. And that meant taking Trigger. He powered up the plasma rifle who responded with some inane jabber about killing sandworms. He paused by the airlock, and checked the readings. Temperature, atmosphere. He could take most temperatures thanks to his cybernetic systems, but again, no time to be taking risks...

Doctor Warp Knowledge (Physical Sciences) DC 15: Doctor Warp is an famous expert in Engineering and theoretical physics. DC 20: Doctor Warp has post graduate academic qualifications in particle physics, chemistry, astronomy, and electronic engineering. DC 25: Doctor Warp is most famous for his work on quantum dimensional lensing, and his research lead to an accident which changed his body permanently, increasing its density. DC 30: Doctor Warps body has been the subject of some very esoteric theoretical papers, which (if one can understand them) indicate his body is super-dimensional as well as dense, and causes possibly dangerous distortions in higher dimensions. Knowledge (Business) DC 10: Warp Technologies is the business run by Doctor Warp and is a multi-million dollar venture. DC 20: Warp Technologies hold multiple practical patents for household devices. DC 30: There have been a number of litigations, some successful, against Doctor Warps devices. Whilst highly ingenious, they are somewhat “bleeding edge”, in that they are often rushed before solid safety testing. Gather Information DC 15: Doctor Warp owns Warp Technologies, and is a multi-millionaire. DC 25: Doctor Warps brother is a famous Judge, specialising in criminal insanity. His sister is a famous astronaut. His wife is an neurologist, an expert in epilepsy (and whilst very competent, not a genius!)

News and stuff and so on and verily and forsooth. Reputation 20Q

"I don't think so...holding up..." she replied, uncertainly. "My leg hurts. Nothing so new there. But I don't know how much longer I can run around the place without the skin breaking down. Ulcers, infection...been there...done that...." she frowned. The nature of paralysed flesh was something she knew well enough, and her case was mild. The movies, the TV shows, they never showed that. The numb ulcers of wheelchair users, the careful checking, the careful and constant redistribution of weight. For if they appeared, they would be slow to heal, and prone to infection. "Some antibiotics might be good, just in case" she added. She was no doctor, but she had been ill quite a few times. "But otherwise, I'm good to go" she said, more positively. "I'd be surprise if its the worst of the day. I'm expecting a lot worse!" Turning to Billy, she continued. "You are a brave soul and I don't deserve you, Billy. But if we have a tandem bike, I'll still ask you to pump the pedals. I hope you have been working out at the gym!"