Who:  Yalindra, Rand, Dante, Ymerith, Jenner, Rhea.
Where: R/T Lounge, and then the Red Lions Camp in the Wastelands.
Why:  Ymerith's off to rescue Jenner, and finds out he's gonna have to get Rhea back too!
Date of Log:  8/27/00


(Soldier) Yalindra drinks some of her warm herbal tea.  About three-quarters
of it remains.

(Soldier) Soldier enters the lounge, eyes scanning the room for the individual
he's here to meet with. Not seeing whoever he's looking for, he strides
toward the bar to wait.

(Soldier) Rand steps in from the south, glancing around the room, he moves
slowly to the bar and takes a seat.

(Soldier) Rand sits down on a barstool.

(Soldier) Dante eyes turn towards Rand with a wry chuckle, "My god it lives."

(Soldier) Rand reaches back and unlocks the restraining clasps on the back of
his skull mask.  He slowly slides it from his head and puts it into a black
silk bag, he ties the bag closed and hooks it to his belt.

(Soldier) Yalindra glances at the you with muted interest in his foreign garb.

(Soldier) Rand glances at Dante and nods brielfy, "Dante."

(Soldier) Ymerith casually walks in and heads for the bar.

(Soldier) Ymerith sits down on a barstool.

(Soldier) Soldier glances in Rand's direction as he realizes someone has
entered.  No, that's not th-- ah, there he is.  He turns toward Ymerith,
nodding to him.  "You came.  I almost didn't expect you to.'

(Soldier) Ymerith smiles non-chalantly, "Why's that?"

(Soldier) Dante [to Soldier]: Don't tell me Stryfe is back in town?

(Soldier) Dante holds his katana at the ready, body poised to strike if
necessary.

(Soldier) Ymerith [to Osbornn]: The usual m'man, gimme a beer

(Soldier) Osbornn says, "You got it!" He quickly mixes up a beer and hands it
to Ymerith.

(Soldier) Rand glances at the you and frowns slightly.

(Soldier) Soldier ignores Dante, Ymerith being the focus of his attention at
the moment.  "I told you, not many have a desire to join the Red Lions, not
when they realize the demands that will be made on them."

(Soldier) Ymerith shrugs, "I'm ready to check it out, not like there'll be
anything left for me here soon."

(Soldier) Dante raises an eyebrow at you, "Cocky little bastard, thats going
to get you killed."

(Soldier) Soldier nods to Ymerith, "Indeed. Shall we be on our way then?"

(Soldier) Rand . o O ( Of all the people to say being cocky will get you
killed... )

(Soldier) Ymerith downs his beer in a few quick gulps and doesn't answer, just
heads for the exit, then as an affterthought speaks, "Sure."

(Soldier) Ymerith gets up from his barstool.

(Soldier) Soldier follows Ymerith then, yet again ignoring whatever threats
Dante has lobbed his way.

(Soldier) Ymerith heads out.

(Soldier) Rand pauses and glances at the you, "Red Lions?"

(Soldier) Ymerith quietly excuses himself and goes south.

(Soldier) Soldier pauses to look at Rand, letting Ymerith get ahead of him.
He nods, "Indeed."

(Soldier) Rand snickers, "A red lion is usually one that is covered in its own
blood, lovely name."

(Soldier) Soldier gives Rand a long, discerning look, perhaps mentally storing
the features of the younger man into his memory.  With that, he heads for the
exit anew.

(Soldier) Dante [to Soldier]: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

(Soldier) Dante grins.

(Soldier) Soldier has yet to even acknowledge Dante's presence.

(Soldier) Rand laughs softly, his eyes flashing, perhaps his insanity is
creeping forward again....

(Soldier) Ymerith says, "So.... shall we follow from the air or.....?""

(Soldier) Soldier exits, shaking his head.  There's a certain crossness in his
eyes.  Stepping toward the elevator, he says, "Follow me."


The Red Lions Camp is perfunctory, a number of tents rising out of the
wasteland sand with the typical rampant red lion as an emblem.  Several
soldiers stand at various posts, and it's certain that there are others not
even seen.  The Soldier escort bringing Ymerith here leads him past the
center of the camp, where he would be able to see the unconcious form of
Jenner, hands tied to a wooden pole stuck deep into the sand.  He most
certainly has been beaten repeatedly, almost to the point that his red hair
and the duster he'd been seen in are the only things that leave him
identifiable at first glance.  The soldier does not stop here, however, or
even look at the kid.  The Commander's Tent is his destination.

Ymerith tosses the kid's hat to his limp form in passing, not breaking stride.

Ymerith throws a hat at you.

The hat bounces off Jenner and hits the floor.

Ymerith follows on to the commander's tent.

The Commander exits the tent flaps just as the Soldier arrives with Ymerith in
tow.  Saluting his CO, the soldier reports, "Commander Rydeth, I have
escorted Ymerith, Sir."  Rydeth nods, dismissing the soldier before turning
toward Ymerith.

Ymerith winces, "Please, it's Kiva.  Johnny Kiva."

Lifting an eyebrow, Rydeth finally nods, "Kiva then.  So, you're still
considering joining the ranks of the Red Lions."  He folds massive arms over
his chest, appraising Ymerith differently this time.  Few have gone this far.

Ymerith nods, "I look forward to having a lot of free time on my hands soon.

The Commander nods, "Free time, is it?"  The dragon is, in fact, noticed, many
of the other soldiers eyeing the creature warily.  "I will warn you now, the
General may have many tests for you to complete before he is satisfied."

Ymerith nods, "We wouldn't be here if we weren't serious.  Could it be any
worse than ranger school?"

Megasa stands still, not threatening, but not shying away from anyone.

Grimly, the Commander merely nods, "I have seen his tests, Kiva.  I would not
take them lightly."  Out of the blue, a soldier rushes up toward the
commander, saluting, "Sir, the Soldiers are wondering what to do with the
Submariner woman, Sir."

Ymerith looks pensive for a moment, "You and the others seem to be alright...
From what I've been led to understand, coming this far my only choice is to
go on.  Is that right, or would you now let me walk away, having seen your
camp and gotten an idea of the size of your force?  I believe the choice has
already been made."

The Commander merely nods, replying to Ymerith before responding to the
soldier.  "Indeed.  Your... companion may also be impressive to our General."
  Aside, then, to the soldier he says, "See to it she is secured.  We'll be
taking her back to sell to the Syndicate, we can't leave her go."

Ymerith watches the direction the runner leaves from the corner of his eye,
seeing if he can garner where the prisoner in question is, a sinking feeling
that he knows just who's being talked about.

Ymerith grins outwardly, "A dragon's better'n a helicopter, commander."

It seems the camp it in preperations to disperse, soldiers dismantling tents
and packing items.  The Commander watches all of this with little interest,
instead intent on concentrating on Ymerith. "I'm sure." His humor seems to be
rather zapped.  Things to do, people to whip, etc. etc.

Ymerith shrugs, "I await your disposal, then."

Jenner stirs suddenly, cracking open his one good eye.  Disorientated for a
moment, he realizes his hat's sitting on the sand beside him. What the... is
he hallucinating?

The Commander nods to Ymerith, "For now, you'll be accompanying us on the way
back to headquarters.  Until we get there, you will be under escort.  Please
understand this is merely precaution, not insult to you or your companion."

Megasa lets loose a large draconish yawn just as a soldier passes, teeth
moving very close to his face.

Ymerith nods, "I would question your security were it otherwise.... sir."

The Commander nods, content with that reply.  "For now, feel free to wander
the camp as we prepare to leave.  Only perfunctory tents are left for the
night, we leave at dawn.  Does your... dragon need shelter?"

Ymerith wonders how to answer.... "For the most part, no, though if quarters
big enough to house us together were available.  That would be preferable.
In sandstorms and the like he would need shelter just like the rest of us."

Finding shelter large enough for a dragon is a bit of a problem.  The
Commander grimaces at the reply.  "I will see what can be done, we do not
normally travel in the company of dragons."  It is not a prejudiced
statement, just an observation.  Turning sharply toward the pole at the
center of camp, he suddenly barks out, "You there, back off, damage that boy
further and the General's wrath will personally be taken out on your hide."
Two younger looking soldiers, who can't be older then fifteen at the most,
nearly jump out of their skins and skulk away from Jenner, who they'd begun
tormenting just in that moment.

Ymerith nods, "I can't expect more than that.  If I may ask, where will be
going, that we might prepare ourselves for the trip?"

Ymerith does nothing to imply that Megasa has intelligence of his own, if the
soldiers want to believe that he's just a beast, those thoughts will not be
discouraged.

"We'll be headed back toward Austin."  The Commander replies, and apparently
that's all he's willing to divulge.  Whether the base is there, or near
there, he doesn't say.  Gesturing toward a soldier, the Commander gives
orders to stay with Ymerith.

Ymerith nods, "Thank you sir, I think I will take some time to explore the
camp, get to know the.... men."

Megasa curls up on the ground, appearing as if to go to sleep.

Nodding, the Commander disappears back into his tent, the soldier assigned to
Ymerith just kinda glancing at him, bored to get this little job.

Ymerith stands above the soldier, "So...  Where's the mess tent?"

The soldier gestures toward one of the larger tents in the camp, "Over there."

Ymerith nods and walks off, not caring if the soldier follows or not.

Soldier does indeed follow, it's his job, after all, and failure is met with
due punishment.

Ymerith heads into the big tent, thinking that people eating are more
talkative since they're somewhat relaxed.

Inside the mess tent are the typical antics.  However, seeing the
'dragonrider' enter halts most conversations, youthful faces suddenly
glancing up to see and stare at Ymerith.

Ymerith walks up to the mess line and demands service, "Dish it up."

Sand skitters around your feet, blown by phantom gusts of wind.

A tray is provided, along with whatever mystery food is being served tonight.
The soldier escort follows along, not getting a tray of his own, he ate
already.

Ymerith . o O ( Too bad I gave up cigars, wonder how they'd react to that. )

Ymerith sits down at a table with other people at it if one is available, and
in a voice reserved for confidants asks, "So what's new?  Is the commander
always like that?"

The guys at the table all look at one another, uncertain.  Then, one of them
grins, and they all start grinning, and elbowing one another.  Hey, lookit
the dragonrider.  He wants to be one of us!  Finally, one of them speaks up
boldly, grinning, "Him? He's always like that.  Not us though.  So, where'd
you get the dragon?"

Ymerith adopts the same grin, "Oh him?  Well, it's like this...  There were a
bunch of eggs hatching and this little green one gets out of his shell and
comes over to me, and he trips.  So I catch him and start petting him and we
were friends.

Ymerith would get misty eyed at the recollection were circumstances different,
but he keeps his face under control.

The soldiers all look at one another again, as if there were some kinda
private joke going on between them.  So, the ringleader asks again, "Really?
WHere'd you find the hatching eggs?"

Ymerith says, "Oh, that's a long story.  See, these people asked me to help
them fight with them in a big battle.  I had nothing better to do so I joined
them.  Well, at their camp I found out that they were dragonriders.  They had
eggs with them and they hatched while we were in their cave."

Ymerith tries not to over do the musclebound idiot act.

The soldiers mull the story over, and before the ringleader can ask another
question, an eager youngester asks, "So you're a real dragonrider then?  I
thought they were stories."  One of the others baps him up the back of the
head. "Owe, what?"

Ymerith grins, "Sure, would you like to meet him?"

Ymerith sobers for a moment, "If it won't get in the way of your duties, of
course."

The soldiers all kinda eye one another and shake there heads, grumbling and
mumbling, 'No thanks', 'Nah', 'Better not'.

Ymerith looks sad, almost as if his feelings were hurt, "Well, ok." and
brightens, "But if you do, just lemme know.  If he likes you, he might let
you ride him to Austin." this last comment directed at the one who spoke up.

The eager youngester really does look interested, but tries to hide it from
the others by acting the opposite.  However, he shoots a look at Ymerith, he
wants to.

Ymerith winks to the eager boy, discreetly.  "Well, the offer stands.  He
won't hurt you unless you hurt him first.  But whew, you should see him eat
cainids and ROUS, it's....   not pretty."

The soldiers kinda shift uncomfortably at that notion.  They were all kinda
wondering what the dragon ate.

Ymerith smiles, "Oh, you get used to it after a while.  I betcha didn't know
that dragons croon, didja?  Well, they do.  Just pet him and find out for
yourself."

Crooning dragons?  The boys all kinda look at Ymerith dubiously.  None of them
are all that sure of him.  The eager boy pipes up again, "Mister, why are you
wanting to join up with us?"

Ymerith shrugs, "Honestly, I'm bored.  I've got no place to go.  Well, I won't
soon.  I'm a soldier, I always have been.  Don't soldiers belong in an army?"

Another kid, somewhat curious about this too, and one must not that the oldest
any of these boys looks is fifteen, says, "But why this one?"

Ymerith smiles, "This is the first army that I found.  Why, is there something
wrong with it?"

All the boys quickly shake their heads.  Indoctrinated, all of them.  "No,
it's just... we don't get many older folks in here."

Ymerith nods, "Have you guys been in any fights?"

The boys all nod, though two don't.  They all kinda speak up in unison.  'I've
been through two Claws.'  'This is my first Search Claw.' 'Never seen combat
yet.' 'I've seen plenty of battle.'

A hoarse female voice rings out from one of the tents, demanding to see
Jenner, followed closely by the emergence of one dishevelled purple-haired
submariner, struggling to get past the guard. "Where's Jenner? Let me get
past, damn you, bastard!"

The soldier escorting a still bound Rhea just smirks at her, "What the hell
you so worried about him for, he's fine, you want to eat or not?"

Ymerith stands up and heads out of the tent, "That voice sounds familiar!"

Ymerith makes his way out of the tent and heads toward the sound of Rhea's
voice, "I thought so!  It's you, you thief!"

From Rhea, something emits a sharp beep.

Rhea's jaw clenches tight with frustration as she blinks sun-drenched eyes
around the area, searching for the boy. Her head jerks around at Kiva's
voice, eyes widening.

Jenner is at least awake enough to hear what's going on around him.  He
struggles to sit up, using the pole to prop himself up by.  He tries to turn
his head to pinpoint Rhea's position.  "Rhea!  I'm ok!"

The soldier escorting Rhea blinks, hearing something on Rhea start to beep.
"What the hell...?"

Rhea looks down towards her comm for a moment, cursing softly as she pulls
futilely at the bonds around her wrists.

Ymerith just watches, seeing what happens.

The soldier pinpoints the sound and reaches for the communicator, not really
caring that he may be touching Rhea anywhere she doesn't want to be. What
does he care, she's a prisoner.

The comm's just slotted into the 'Mariner's belt, thankfully. Not like she'd
be able to answer it anyway. Still, on principle, she sneers at the soldier,
"What? You worried that I'm all of a sudden going to be able to double over
and touch the thing with my nose?"

The soldier narrows his eyes and rears a hand back to slap at Rhea's face.
"Shut up, fish.  Just be glad Commander gave orders to leave you alone. He's
gonna sell you, you know, to the Slave Syndicate."  He stares at the
communicator.

Ymerith grabs the comm up, "It's mine anyway!  Thieving scoundrel took it from
me the other night!"

The soldier escorting Ymerith grimaces, and the one escorting Rhea seems
surprised, "Hey!"

Ymerith smacks Rhea across the face, grabbing the front of her shirt.  Unseen
to anyone else he slides a small knife down her shirt as he smacks her again.

Rhea's hands clench and unclench behind her back, dry and wet blood staining
the ropes. She instinctively shies away from the hand, then spits at his
feet. She starts to turn towards Kiva, but is too late to avoid the -other-
hand as her head snaps round.

Jenner is, luckily, unaware of what's going on.

The soldier with Rhea grabs her arm pulling her back, "Hey man, we're not
supposed to be doing that to her, bruises make her price go down."

Ymerith calms hinself, "Sorry...  she cleaned me out just before I met the
soldier that brought that runaway in.  I didn't find out until she was gone.
I can treat her, we'll make it look like nothing happened."

Rhea hides the relief in her eyes, turning back to Kiva with a snarl, "Have
it, mercenary, and may the Eagle take you the next time you visit it. You and
your fucking dragon."

Ymerith rears back as if to punch Rhea, then stops and smiles, "You'll wish I
could kill you here, you will once they sell you."

Rhea's eyes lock with Kiva's for a moment with the briefest gratitude before
they begin to glitter with hatred. "Believe me, mercenary, you will suffer
more than I, before we're through."

The soldier scowls at Ymerith, and pushes Rhea forward, "Whatever, come on,
lets go."  He starts pushing Rhea toward the center of camp.  "See, there's
your loverboy there.  He's fine."  And then he 'escorts' her toward the mess
tent not too far from there.

Ymerith kicks sand after Rhea as she leaves, laughing.

Rhea stumbles toward the tent, praying that the knife will not fall out. She
does not need to conceal any concern as she looks towards Jenner again, then
turns her eyes towards the tent.

Ymerith sighs heavilly, unsure of what to do with himself at this point, then
stumbles over in the sand to where Megasa is laying and lays down against his
side.

Jenner looks no worse then usual, honestly.  He frowns to see Rhea getting
shoved around, but it's not like he can do much about it.

The soldier doesn't leave Rhea much time to see Jenner before he's shoving her
into the mess tent and releasing her bonds.  "You do one wrong thing and I'll
make you eat without your hands."

Rhea rubs her wrists with a decidedly ungrateful scowl as she massages her
fingers, trying to get the blood to return.

About this same time, Jenner is escorted into the mess tent, for the same
reason probably.  Hardly able to stand or support himself, he's left at a
table far from where Rhea's sat down with a tray of rather unappetizing food
in front of her.

Ymerith scans the surrounding area for anything flammable.

Rhea looks down at the tray with expressionless eyes, then raises her head
towards the tent flap, watching Jenner with a faint grimace as she makes
certain once again that he's vaguely okay. She does worry so.

Ymerith looks to his escort out of the corner of his eye, seeing just how
closely he's being watched.

Flammable? If there are any explosive items, they've been loaded onto one of
the carts at the north end of camp.  Otherwise, none are left out in the
open.  The escort is currently watching him with semi-closeness.  Somewhat
distracted.

Jenner gives a slight shrug toward Rhea when he thinks she's looking.  He's
alive, right now he's grateful for what he's got.

Rhea manages a small smile as she picks at the food with her fingers, deft
fingers made clumsy by fatigue and bad circulation. She pauses for a moment
before she turns around to fix the soldier behind her with thoughtful green
eyes, anger forced down to a vague simmer. "Can I just you a question?" she
asks mildly.

The escort standing by Rhea lifts an eyebrow, "What?"

Ymerith smiles conspiratorilly at his escort, opening a pocket, "Hey, check
this out...." and when interest is shown and nobody's watching, the escrot is
knocked out and hidden beside/under Meg.

Rhea's voice continues, mild, questioning, "Why are you here?"

The soldier escort for Ymerith is indeed KO'd, and hidden.  Hardly had a
chance to even think about it, tsk.

As for the one talking to Rhea, he shrugs his shoulders, "Cause I'm a Red
Lion, stop asking and eat."

Ymerith grins to himself as Meg quietly waddles away from the tentline, guard
clutched in his foreclaws.  Johnny skulks away to near the commander's tent,
staying hidden until he can ascertain the exact location of the commander and
any other nearby officers.

Rhea turns back to her food, taking a mouthful of the stuff, chewing slowly
before she swallows and says casually, "Just wondering, you know, how you
came to be a Red Lion. You're not that old, hey? Most kids are still with
their parents."

The Commander's tent seems to be busy, the voices of the chain of command
heard within.  Perhaps not aware that Ymerith is skulking about, but it'd be
risky to try anything with them awake and aware.

The soldier by Rhea snorts, "I'm proud to be a Red Lion lady.  So just eat and
be quiet."  He jerks a thumb in Jenner's direction.  "I don't have to be nice
to him, remember that."

Ymerith swings his shotgun into his grip and holds it at the ready.

Rhea shrugs slowly. Is there a hint of pity there, mixed in with returning
antipathy? She turns away, murmuring voice just loud enough to be heard by
the soldier, "Kids beating up kids. Like an example of abused turning abusers
right out of a textbook."

Ymerith changes his mind, and stuffs the shotgun into his vest, deciding that
something smaller will do.

Ymerith slings his shotgun over his back.

Ymerith draws his Colt .45 from its holster on his hip.

Ymerith keeps his revolver accessible, but hidden as he slinks back in the
general direction of the mess tent.

Still unaware, no one in the tent nears Ymerith's sneaky doings.

The 'escort' by Rhea rolls his eyes, "Whatever lady, keep your psychobabble to
yourself."

Ymerith covers his ears just before sending Megasa the mental cue to breathe
lightning into the flammable containers on the north side of the camp, after
picking a hiding place that running soldiers won't find.          

Rhea doesn't reply, hunger finally driving her to eat the unappetising mess
before her. she's eaten worse before, but the last few years have accustomed
her to slightly nicer meals. Her eyes wander around the tent, consciously
aware of the knife in her shirt.

Jenner eats what he can, though he doesn't eat much.  He keeps stealing
glances over toward Rhea, trying to make sure she's ok and no one's hurt her.
That possibility worries him, you see, though he knows what her eventual
fate will be.  The escort beside him seems impatient, bored.

Rhea has only been slapped twice. Harmless, really. She sighs and pushes away
the plate, appetite dwindling as impatience goes on the rise. Despite all her
bravado, she doesn't relish the idea of being sold. Slavery is one of the
worst evils. She looks up at the soldier with unreadable eyes. "How old are
you, Red Lion?"

Jenner isn't aware of the slapping, and it's a good thing too.  He'd do
something stupid, like try to find out who did it and slit his throat, or
something, which would be nigh impossible in his condition and get him
another beating for certain.  However, she doesn't look bad... so he decides
she must be ok.

The soldier next to her sighs and glances at the only other soldier in here,
Jenner's escort.  "How do you get him to keep quiet at least?"

Rhea shrugs slightly, continuing conversationally, "Always found that talking
was an amusing past-time. Sure beats shooting people, hey? But I suppose
you're not really encouraged to talk much as a Red Lion. Makes you think too
much." One hand lies still in her lap, the other tapping lightly on the table
top. "And that wouldn't be a good thing, now would it? Can't have a soldier
-thinking- for himself."

Megasa breathes lightning, a quick flash to light up the night sky with a
blinding flash.  First to explode are gasoline tanks, then tanks of kerosene.
By the time anybody can see, there is no trace of the cause.  Nobody's
looking for one, though, as shouts of "Fire!" reach into the night.  Someone
had set a few tent edges on fire, not noticeable at first, but now that
they've had time to burn the tents are torches on their own.  Most of the
camp runs to the north end or to the flaming tents, panicked.

Rhea's head jerks up towards the sound, the faintest of smiles curving her
lips as she looks across the room at Jenner, wondering if he'll be able to
take out his 'escort'. Her hand creeps towards the knife.

The Commander is out of his tent in a flash, along with his lieutenants, they
quickly begin barking orders to reign in the chaos and start combating the
fires as well as seek the cause of the enemy fire.  They turn around quickly
in this, though two soldiers were killed in the sudden ensuing explosions and
panic.

The explosions rock the camp entirely, even the mess tent.  The two 'escorts'
suddenly look rather nervous, both rushing toward the tent flap to see what's
going on.  Jenner takes the chance to get to his feet, grabbing for the
nearest weapon type thing available to him.  It's a fork, of all things.  And
he literally throws himself at his 'escort', stabbing the boy in the throat
with it.  He is trained to kill, after all.

Ymerith shoulders his way into the mess tent, the confusion and panic aids his
entrance unchallenged.  Shouldering his way into the mess tent he leaps upon
anybody between himself and Rhea.  When a chance presents itself, he tosses
his shotgun to Rhea, knowing that even if she's not accurate she'll probably
hit something with it.

Rhea tugs out the knife, unsheathing it quickly as she likewise sprints
towards the other guard, drawing back her arm as she aims the base of the
hilt against the boy soldier's head, intending to stun, not kill.

The soldier Rhea's aiming for gives off a muted cry of surprise before
crumpling to the ground in a heap, unconcious.  He had turned toward his
comrade, only to forget the submariner woman was there too.

Jenner presses the fork in further, snarling in a maddened rage born of days
of abuse and fear.  There's no way he's going back to be 'reprogrammed', no
way in hell.  The kid he's stabbing grasps at his throat, fear in his eyes as
he realizes he's dying, blood streaming down his throat.  Even as he
collapses, Jenner collapsing on top of him, he claws at the fork before
expiring.  The would be sniper sighs, finding the strength to pull himself
back to his feet somehow, despite his injuries.

Ymerith reaches down to help steady Jenner and hands him the tommygun that
he'd been also carrying in his pack and simply says, "Cover me." hoping that
the assessment of Jenner's skills was right as he charges into the night,
headed for the officer's tent with his revolver drawn.

The other boy-soldier slumps to the ground, unconscious as the hilt connects
and Rhea reaches out to grab the shotgun. "Thanks, Kiva," she calls as she
steps over the body, holding the gun uncertainly. "You ok, Jenner?"

Jenner blinks at the tommygun, being rather accustomed to sniper rifles, but
hey, it's a firearm, he can use it.  He pauses to smile at Rhea, "Yeah, fine,
it'll be ok."  Though he can't smile long, bruises make it hard to.  Limping,
he heads out after Ymerith, providing the necessary cover as asked of him.
Indeed, the dragonrider was correct in his assumption.  The boy's accuracy is
almost unbelievable, even with the number of injuries he's sustained.  And he
has no compunctions about shooting anyone with Red Lion.  He hates them,
hates them all.

All the Subbie knows about guns is something about pointing and pulling the
trigger, with the barrel facing away from you, preferably. More comfortable
with the knife, she holds the gun in her left hand, the knife in her right as
she follows Jenner and Ymerith.

The Commander and his lieutenants have taken cover near the one wagon that was
not damaged in the attack, the one containing supplies not related to
anything explosive.

Ymerith attempts to circle around the officers, using what cover is at hand.
When the opportunity presents itself he fires at each of them.  Execution
with extreme prejudice is the term that comes to mind.  When his gun is empty
he pulls his bowie knife and closes with any survivors.

Rhea's green eyes flicker in the darkness, following the gunshots, while she
continues to keep an eye on Jenner, watchful, careful. She glances down at
the gun again, irritably as she tucks it into her belt. If she tried to shoot
it, she'd probably end up hitting Kiva or Jenner, with her luck.

The Commander is no fool, and neither are his lieutenants.  Ymerith does
manage to pick off one, but the others have scattered already, turning toward
another angle on the wagon.  They return fire with fervor.

Jenner follows along, picking off would be shooters as they leap up to attempt
to halt Ymerith's progress forward.  Looking over his shoulder, he's
constantly checking on Rhea too, making sure no one's targeting her either.
Of course, he ends up tripping in the sand, sending himself to his knees
without the ability to get up immediately.

Rhea's eyes widen with alarm as she sprints towards Jenner, tucking the knife
into her belt, and crouches down beside him to help him up. "C'mon, Jenner,
get up." She looks around in the darkness worriedly, especially as some of
the fire travels their way. Cover, cover...

Ymerith dives into the dirt at the thought of incoming fire, he'd gladly eat
dirt than bullets.  His trust in Megasa is rewarded as the dragon swoops out
of the darkness to distract the shooters, toppling a flaming tent with flaps
of his wings.

Megasa then swoops out of sight again.

The dragon is a factor the Commander and remaining lieutenant had tried to
forget existed.  As Megasa closes in, they turn, firing at the huge beast
instead of concentrating on Ymerith's position.  Even as the dragon swoops
away, they continue to trail after him with rapid fire.

Jenner forces himself to his feet again with Rhea's help.  He holds the
tommygun with one, eyes widening as one of the stupid kids who'd beaten him
just a day or so ago leaps out with a cry, firing two rounds at the two.
"Rhea, out of the way!"  he shouts, even as he fires off rounds as the two.

Ymerith screams in shared pain as Megasa takes bullets.  In a blind rage he
leaps upon the lieutenant and buries his bowie knife into the man, not caring
where or how deep as long as it kills him.   A split second later he's
squared off against the commander, launching a kick in an attempt to disarm
him before making him pay for the pain he's feeling.

Megasa howls draconishly, soaring off into the night, favoring the sail of his
left wing.  Unsure if it will hold him aloft for long, he takes to the ground
after leaving sight.

Rhea rolls to the ground, a bullet grazing her left arm, a searing flame of
pain pushed desparately to the back of her mind as she pulls the knife from
her belt and sends it spinning towards the child-soldier.

The Lieutenant lurches as his body convulses, blood escaping in rivulets from
the force of the stabbing.  He drops into the sand, apparently dead as a
doornail.  The Commander is all that's left at this point, others injured,
most dead by this point.  He avoids being disarmed by the kick, but it does
knock him off guard, a hand trying to grab at Ymerith's leg to knock him off
balance.

Ymerith flails as he falls, groping for the commander, trying to pull him
close enough to pummel, wishing he still had the knife that Rhea now has.

Jenner growls as he realizes Rhea's been hit, so used to pain at this point
that he hardly flinches as a bullet rips through his thigh, spraying blood in
a roostertail of red off to the side.  The child-soldier's body jerks like
some spastic marionnette as the tommygun is unloaded on his body, dead before
he even hits the ground.

The Commander leaps up, a knife produced in in one hand as he allows Ymerith
to pull him in, the death match beginning as he tries to force the blade into
Ymerith's chest.

Ymerith willingly takes the knife to his chest, rolling to make the least of
the wound.  He uses the moment he gained by taking the wound to reach back
and snatch the crowbar that is strapped to his backpack.  His bleeding chest
is on fire as the crowbar is levered towards the commander's head.

Rhea screams out, "Jenner!" She scrambles to his side, barely pausing to see
if the thrown knife even made any difference. Kiva is forgotten as she offers
the boy support, wishing she had some bandages or something. The shotgun
hangs uselessly by her side.

The Commander was expecting Ymerith to fight him with the knife, not to get to
actually stab him.  So when the crowbar comes around toward his head, he's
actually unprepared and screams as it crashes into his skull, fracturing the
bones there.

Ymerith scrabbles into a kneeling position as he races to reload his revolver,
once done he fires a shot into the sky and shouts, "This Red Lion camp is no
more!  Anyone who wishes to remain a Red Lion can die here, now.  The rest
are free to return to civilization with us, free!" his eyes are darting
around, waiting to cut down any challengers.

Jenner drops down to one knee, reaching for Rhea with one hand, "Are you all
right? Did he get you seriously?"  He sees the blood on her arm, and is
hardly worried about himself at this point.  The sound of the bullet fired
into the air, added with Ymerith's shout brings relief to him.

The camp falls into silence now.  Those who are not dead groan, though few are
injured.  Most are quite expired and gone to meet their makers.  Only the
crackle of dying fires and the usual grains of sand being flung about are
heard.

Rhea shakes her head mutely. "A scratch, you could say," she replies,
attention drawn to the boy's wound. "That, however," she adds, "is not a
scratch...wait here." She makes her way over to the bloodied corpse and finds
the knife, cutting a strip from the bottom of her shirt. She goes back to
Jenner. "Let's just try to stop the bleeding a bit, okay?" She glances around
briefly to Kiva, the beginnings of a smile curving her lips as she turns back
to the boy.

Ymerith yells again, "Alright then, let's take care of our wounded and prepare
the ruined camp.  We're gonna make this look like a big accident, a spark
that set the whole camp on fire.  If any scouts that investigate even suspect
that this was a sham, they'll send out scouts to retrieve YOU and
redoctrinate YOU."

If there's anyone left to hear those words, they've run off already into the
night.  The most that's left now is a destroyed camp, and a lot of dead
bodies.

Ymerith looks around, wondering at the silence, the carnage and death caused
still hasn't hit him.  He finally slumps to the ground, passing out from
blood loss.

Jenner shakes his head at Rhea, "I'll be fine."  However, he does allow her a
moment to dress the wound.  He glances up, wondering where Ymerith went off
to.  "Johnny?"

Megasa waddles into camp, still tendering his wing.  There are holes and
gashes obvious in it, but it seems alright for the moment.  Upon seeing his
friend, he speed-waddles over to him and gently opens his mouth with a
foreclaw, then places some crystals inside his mouth before closing it.

Megasa makes it obvious that this has been done before.

Rhea ties the knots of the makeshift bandage tight enough to help control the
bleeding before she stands up and looks around, catching sight of the big
dragon. She turns back to Jenner and offers him a hand up.

Jenner takes the hand and tries not to put too much leverage on Rhea alone.
He looks like he's been through world war three, but he's standing.  He's
alive.  That's gotta count for something.  Worrying over Rhea again, he
gestures toward her own wound, "You sure it's ok?"  Ymerith who?  Sheesh.

Ymerith reflexively swallows some of the crystals, and coming to, chews and
swallows the rest, "Thanks Meg."  Then he stands up, looking around for
anything that can be salvaged, then begins making plans and trying to figure
out how to best decorate the camp and destroy anything to hide the most
evidence.

Rhea shakes her head slightly. "I'm fine, really... Let's just go find Kiva?"
She begins to lead Jenner carefully towards the dragon and the man.

Jenner really doesn't want to lean against Rhea. Unfortunately, as the effects
of adrenaline begin to wear off, he's slowly losing the ability to cope with
his injuries.  His limp steadily gets heavier.

Ymerith is busy at work, grabbing any gear he can find.  He smiles wickedly as
he lays a broken tent pole into the commander's head, making it look like it
fell on him, "Why bother?  The vultures'll pick 'em clean before any scouts
get here.....  Then again, the bones laying around would tell the story."

Ymerith turns, hearing Jenner's labored breathing, "You ok?"

Rhea offers as much support to Jenner as she can, stopping in front of Kiva,
concerned eyes watching him, taking in the bloodstains.

Jenner has been beaten within an inch of his life twice, suffered a gunshot
wound, near starvation and gotten enough water to prevent any serious
dehydration. No, he's not ok. He just wants to think he is. Bah, stupid kid
trying to be macho.  And, as much as he wants to deny what his body is
screaming at him about, he doesn't get the opportunity to reply, finally just
passing out entirely.

Ymerith takes Jenner from on top of Rhea and begins to dress his wounds with
his field surgery kit.  At one point, Johhny isn't sure that he can give
enough help, but after forcing a few crystals down the boy's throat, the
remaining wounds are dealt with.

Rhea staggers under the dead weight, giving Ymerith a look of gratitude as she
rubs her eyes slowly, numbness setting in.

Megasa dips his right side, offering Rhea a chance to sit down on his back and
rest for a bit.

Jenner starts to look somewhat more like himself, especially after the forced
crystal feeding.  When he awakens, he blinks, both eyes managing to see now.
Hey... he's alive, and he can see and...  "Thank you," he sounds like he's in
awe.  And well, he is. No one else has ever attempted to so selflessly help
him like this.  Though he's not sure about Ymerith's motives, he does know
without a doubt that Rhea came to help him though she had no real reason to,
well none that he understood.

Rhea slumps back against the dragon with a murmured, "Thanks Meg...you okay
yourself?" She doesn't quite end up sitting on the dragon, more sitting on
the ground, resting against his emerald scales.

Rhea smiles wanely at Jenner, raising her palm towards him. "Any time..." She
grins slightly, managing a wink. "Although maybe not any time again too soon?"

Ymerith sort of smiles, turning to look Jenner in the face, "You're welcome,
though I did mean to just help you free and return your hat, I didn't intend
to kill those poor boys....  I.....  they were just as innocent as you, to be
honest."

Rhea wonders silently whether the one she knocked out is still alive. But
she's feeling too drained to think too much about it, brain shutting
temporarily shutting down that section of her conscious for later, when she
can deal with it better.

Jenner will never quite agree with Ymerith about the dead boys... after all,
he knew most of them, knew how far into their own viciousness they already
were.  Or so, he'd like to think.  He doesn't say this aloud though,
considering it ungrateful to talk that way to the man who helped saved his
life, in more ways then one.  He rubs at one of his eyes and pulls himself
stiffly to his feet.

Ymerith finishes dressing up the camp, "Alright, we should head out soon.  Meg
should go first, we'll follow single file so that if our tracks are seen, it
will look like a lone scavenger leaving the area."

Rhea gets slowly to her feet, using Meg as support. "Whatever you say, Johnny
Kiva." She looks down at the shotgun and the knife still in her belt. She
pulls out the weapons and offers them to Ymerith.

Jenner also holds the tommygun out to Ymerith, ready to obey any orders the
older 'soldier' gives him.  Looks like Rhea and Ymerith have a totally loyal
sniper at their backs now.

Ymerith grins, taking the gun from the boy, "Let's fall in then, and head out."