<html><body><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div>> The mouthy soldier gulps and pulls a rag out of his pocket. "Here you <br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">> go, er... Miss. Where exactly is this New Tormuk?" None of the men seem <br>> to have any more desire to grope or be suggestive, and all stare in <br>> wonder, fear, and a bit of growing respect.<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">IC: Anne cocks her head, as if listening to something no one else can hear, and then points downward at an angle to the floor. "Roughly 43 million light years that way. MUCH shorter by rift." She breaks down her rifle and gives it a good cleaning. As she does so, she explains a bit further "My people are a bit new to interstellar space travel, and all the good real estate around our home world is already taken. So we're focusing on other dimensions and alternate timelines for expansion. The Explorer Corps is tasked with charting worlds nearby via Rifts and locating uninhabited versions of nearby worlds for colonization. Earth is too populated and too far away to be a good prospect, but this place is an incredible hub of Rift activity, and is worth an in-depth look."<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">OOC: While the rifle looks NOTHING like a Naruni design externally, internally is another matter. It looks like someone took the<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">guts from half a dozen Naruni heavy weapons, threw out most of them and combined the good parts into a single oversized rifle. The rifle uses very oversized plasma cartridges (bigger than Naruni produces), and the entire forward third is a massive magnetic coil. Where a Naruni rifle has a 2 inch inner muzzle diameter, this one's inner diameter is only about a half inch. But the cartridges it fires are nearly three inches in diameter.<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>> Looking at Anne, Alex responds, "Not a true sniper but a markswoman<br>>> myself. I have been working as the team's armorer as well. More of a<br>>> ranger myself however. Pleased to make your acquaintance?" Her JA-12<br>>> is a pretty good sized rifle as well.<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">OOC: Assuming Alex is close enough to answer...<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div>IC: "Good to meet you. Depending on how we work together, we might be able to form a scout/sniper sub-team."<br style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></div><div><br></div><div>OOC: Anne's weapon is a "rifle" only by courtesy. It might be more accurate to refer to it as a sniper cannon. It's larger than the sorts of rifles that many powered armor suits carry.<br></div><div><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>>> When they awaken in the morning, the winter sun is streaming through<br>>>> the windows. Outside, many hundreds of feet below, new fallen snow has<br>>>> covered the blasted battle plain, and the land looks at peace. Out in<br>>>> the common area breakfast has already been served; hotcakes with a<br>>>> honey syrup, toast with nut spreads, coffee, tea and a heart and<br>>>> fortifying mead. The soldiers and mercenaries are gathering and<br>>>> already digging in.<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">OOC: Careful observers may note that Anne isn't eating anything, but she does drink quite a bit of water.<br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>>> And then the elf woman Taelaen appears. "The Council has reconvened<br>>>> this morning, and wishes you to attend." She turns to the strange<br>>>> young woman. "You as well, friend."<br><br>IC: Anne follows along, with her rifle broken down into three sections, each slung on her back.<br style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;" data-mce-style="color: #000; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></div></div></body></html>