Exiles Hope, Sometimes, the only way out, is through! Options

[Fortune]

After resting briefly, Danny turns his attention to the storm raging outside the aircraft's window. Pushing his stetson back on to his head, he takes a deep breath and then starts to concentrate, calling forth a Spirit from the chaotic and turbulent weather.

In what seems like no time at all, a dark cloud, black even against the dark night, coalesces outside the window, keeping pace with the plane as it flies through the night. Danny thanks the Spirit for responding, then requests it to use its powers to Guard the aircraft.

[Leowulf]

Blackjack finishes resting and finds her parachute in her pile of gear. She begins strapping it on and securing her other gear into the various pocket and straps of her camo suit. If something happens, and she has to jump, Blackjack wants to be prepared. She puts her duffel bag into the bag containing her requested gear and straps it to her chest. Blackjack checks all of the straps for the bag and the parachute for tightness before sitting back down.

[grendel]

"No faith, Six, no faith. ETA 20 minutes."

[Grey]

((cancel post))

[Shadow]

Danny spends a few moments early in the trip in a meditation like stance. It doesn't take long for the spirit to manifest in the aircraft, a low rumble echoes about it. When it speaks it is as if thunder is crashing in the aircraft. It manifests for but a moment, then dissipates to protect the aircraft.

[Shadow]

Grendel's vision is spread out before him in a topographical map that outlines the area in front of him. He see's distances, time vectors, fuel consumption, and wind sheers like the unplugged see colors. Storm swells swirls around the light-aircraft, buffeting it with wind and rain. The aircraft finally leaves the mainland behind. The weather patterns changes and flying becomes more difficult.

In the passenger area each moment can be felt. The vibrations of the engines are a constant companion, and a welcome one. Sleep comes easy for those that try. The occasional drop in altitude is both rare and minor. Leaving most with a weird feeling in their stomach.

The trip passes by slowly, anticipation building up every second.

[TinkerGnome]

Shortly into the flight, Warpath turns the microphone of his tranceiver off (while leaving the speaker on) and drifts into a light sleep. He is fully dressed for the flight, with a parachute strapped on to his back, a life vest on, and all of his gear arrayed in his webbing. He looks ready to leap from the plane at an instant's notice after waking up.

The only thing of note is that he appears to be using the world's most expensive pillow, the rolled up ruthenium cloak which once more is tied up at the top of his back.

[Shadow]

@ Grendel,

Your active sensors alert your attention to a land mass 2 kilometers ahead. The dimensions reported back square with the island you are looking for. The weather has (temporarily) let up. Current winds are 40kph from the north, temperature outside is 36° F.

The island itself appears exactly as it did in the pictures. A massive cliff face dominates the western side, the ocean crashes against it relentlessly. The entire island is surrounded by a treacherous reef. You can easily see that insertion by boat would have been suicide.

[grendel]

As soon as his active sensor sweep verifies the location of the island, Grendel drops back into passive mode. With dizzing swiftness, the tilt-wing drops from its cruise altitude to barely thirty meters off the deck.

"Gear up, Team, get hot. We're 2 minutes out from the target. Winds are 360 at 21.6 knots. Surface temperature is a brisk 2 deg C. Rig for drop from the rear ramp."

[TinkerGnome]

Warpath releases his harness and moves to ready the descent lines. Once they're free and ready to be deployed, he clips himself on and gets ready. When the group is over the island, he releases his parachute's straps and removes it, stowing it to the side. He waits expectantly for the word to drop or more intel.

[Leowulf]

Blackjack checks her equipment and gets ready for the drop in. She stands up, facing the rear of the plane. She says over the comm, "I think I have my parachute on right. I saw it on a trid documentary about them. I jump out and count to 10 before I pull the cord, right?"

[Jr. Woodchuck]

Delacroix looks at Grendel. In a calm relaxed voice the Elf says, "Grendel may I search the island for signs of Magic before we get any closer?"

[Grey]

Jessie looks up from her recording, "Good idea One, if there are any types of magical warning systems, see what you can do to nulify them."

[grendel]

"Go ahead, One, I'll circle once to evaluate the landing site. Make it quick, though, the longer we're low and slow the more vulnerable we are." Grendel makes a minute course correction, enough to take the tilt-wing on a tight counter-clockwise orbit of the island.

[Shadow]

Under Grendels expert manipulation the Ares drops to the deck, the water looks so close you could reach down and touch it. Through the mist the island appears ahead of you. Tall and raggedy. A dark cloud obscures the top of the peak, sending rain and hail down below.

You are approaching from the south, most of the island is covered in fog and mist.

[Grey]

Over the comm, Jessie says, "Base, we can't see drek through the fog, are you picking anything up on sensors?"

[grendel]

"I'm running on passive sensors only, so far I've picked up nothing suspicious from the island. No active sensors, no radio or radar emissions, no excessive thermal signatures."

[Jr. Woodchuck]

Delacroix looks back at Grendel. "Um oh okay. One? Is this code?" Delacroix glances back at Jessie, and gives both Jessie and Grendel an odd look. Delacroix slumps in his chair.

On the astral plane the elfs spirit emerges from his body. The elf dressed in white padded leathers and a black cloak. Basked in shadow, swirls of dark clouds hover around the elf. Allowing the plane to pass before him, the Elf's spirit energy passes thru the back of the plane.

Now observeing his surroundings, the Elf shoots forward towards the island. The journey takes a blink of the eye, and Delacroix is at the island. Delacroix looks intensely at the island, the surrounding ocean and anything else of interest, making sure not to miss the smallest of details.

[Shadow]

The tilt wing comes in at 30 meters off the ocean surface, banking in a slow, lazy turn that brings it around the west side of the island. As it does Delacroix drops into astral and out of the plane. Faster than a thought he floats to the island and looks around.

The plane banks as Grendel brings it around the cliff face, even 200 meters away the massive rock wall's effects on local weather patterns can be felt.

Delacroix hovers over the island, looking for any signs of astral activity. over the apex of the cloud, partially obscured in the mana glow of the island, hangs a watcher. It appears as a large, unblinking eye, slowly rotating like a light house. On the island itself are many astral signatures, most too small to be anything other than squirrels or birds. Near the tree line, huddled under a makeshift shelter, is a larger astral signature, though very feint.

The Ares aircraft re-emerges from other side of the island, the roar of its engines washing over the area like rain and wind. The plan bucks in the air as a massive wind hits it, forcing it down toward the crashign waves. Grendel desperately fights with the controls, willing the plane to pull up.

In the astral Delacroix easily perceives the truth. A spirit has surface in the astral. Its massive cloud like form is blowing the aircraft down. A light flashes as another spirit manifests, not near the plane, but around it. Danny's summoned storm spirit materializes in the astral like a giant thunder cloud and shields the plane from the elemental attack.

Warpath and Blackjack are tossed around like rag dolls as the sudden turbulence strikes the plane. Negative G's accumulate from the sudden dive, forcing everything to the rear. The engines scream from the strain of fighting the sudden dive but seem to have no effect. Mere feet from the surface of the water, and certain death, the sudden pressure is gone. The aircraft pulls up, not gaining air, but flying 4 meters from the crashing water.

(OOC: Warpath and Blackjack need (2) successes @ (6) on a reaction roll to avoid being thrown around. If you are thrown around, ressist a 6M - 1/2 impact)

[Grey]

Grabbing onto a railing for support, Jessie manages to deal the thrashing of the plane. Her voice comes over the comm, calm and clear, "Base, any chance you can put this thing down on the beach? I'd rather not take a chance of the winds putting us down on the ocean again."

[grendel]

"Which spot on the densely forested, cliff-like, wind and sea swept beach would you like me to land on, Two?" Grendel's voice is equally calm and clear, despite the desperate scream of the tilt-wing's engines as they claw for altitude.

[Grey]

Once more, Jessie's voice comes over the comm, "Three, why don't you go Astral too and give One a hand. Better to have both of you work together on things out there."

[Shadow]

@ Danny,

You feel the conjured spirits presence. It is fullfilling it's duty and guarding the plane.

@ Delacroix,

The spirit battle lasts the briefest of seconds, the wind spirit is defeated in howl of anger and magical energy. The disruption of the spirit send ripples through the astral.

Grendel seems to have control of the plane again.

[Fortune]

Danny looks up, pausing in his current task of transferring several things from his large duffel bag into his smaller shoulder satchel.

"Ah be thinkin' the best place fer me right now is here. Might be an idea t' send along a little help though."

The shaman calls forth the two Watcher Spirits not currently performing any service, and instructs them to find the mage Delacroix, and assist him. He adds an extra instruction for the first Watcher that it should return to him immediately with news if a problem is encountered.

[Grey]

Jessie nods to Danny, "You know your stuff better than I do, I'll trust your word."