you're in the jungle, baby / you gonna die

[lucetimods]

Who: All draftees
What: Fighting the Third Party... and perhaps the wildlife.
When: June 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. (Characters will be pulled out at 11:59 of the 6th.)
Where: An as-yet unmapped by the Malnosso tropical rainforest.
Summary: Here are your details. Try to stay alive, won't you?
Rating: Anywhere from PG to R.

No cut for you. Most of you will know how this works by now; if you don't, follow the lead of the others, or perhaps look to the last draft's fighting post for ideas. Don't forget to use your handy dandy character tags. Go forth and conquer thine enemies!

Comments

[simplestgift]

It was in my time. If you've gone soft since then, perhaps you'd do to learn a thing or two.

[consultmybooks]

I certainly could. [He shakes off the brush.] Never sailed a day in my life. [On to the next cannon.]

[simplestgift]

[Archie, in the meantime, is loading powder into the first gun.] Stay with the one cannon, Mr. Giles. It's no good going between. Better to load one quickly than two slowly.

[consultmybooks]

Right. [And he circles back around to the first.]

Been meaning to ask, did you actually request these?

[simplestgift]

I did.

[consultmybooks]

Not traditional rain forest weaponry, are they? [He settles down to wait at the base of his chosen cannon.]

[simplestgift]

No. But as long as we can keep the powder dry, they'll be effective. [He looks out--there seems to be a lull.] And I know guns.

[consultmybooks]

[Giles focuses all his attention on listening for a minute - there's definitely movement, there can't be anything else in a rain forest, but none of it seems human or hostile right now.]

I know guns from my era. [Speaking of which, he'll take a minute to check that his Glock hasn't jammed.] Not cannons. As you've gathered.

[simplestgift]

[Archie is positively soaked with sweat, face dusted with black powder residue. The smoke from the last few shots is settling.] You're doing well.

[At least you've landed yourself the one officer in all the navy with no qualms about giving encouragement.]

[consultmybooks]

[Given Giles' stress levels right now, he appreciates that.

Not being in charge of aiming and firing the cannons, Giles is in slightly better shape than Kennedy. The black powder has taken some adjusting to, though - Giles can't stop himself from coughing as the last of it settles.] Thank you, Kennedy.

So are you.

[Satisfied that the pistol is still working, he gets back to his feet. He'll let the quiet stretch on a while longer, before adding:]

Think they know where the camp is, yet?

[simplestgift]

We haven't let anyone escape, who's reached us. If they're close enough to hear the cannonfire, it all depends. [Mmm, smell that sulfur.]

[consultmybooks]

Unless they have journal systems of their own, we should be all right.

The camp has its own defenses.

[The sulfur is almost comforting. Almost. Stinky, but effective.]

[simplestgift]

[It's all comforting--the smell, the smoke, the heat, all very nostalgic.]

We've got in some practice before any real assault, at least. If we were at sea, I'd have everyone practicing more.

[consultmybooks]

Cheer up. Maybe one day the Third Party will try to attack from the sea.

[Sunnydale is nostalgic. Sulfur, at least, he can identify as a beneficial element from magic.]

[simplestgift]

And we with no ships. Unless the Malnosso can produce those with two days' notice. I'd pit a first-rate against anything more modern the Third Party might have. War at sea is often a bit...cleaner, anyway, though it feels wrong to say it once you've seen it.

[consultmybooks]

They can produce cannons. And if they have underwater cities, they must have some sort of seafaring ability.

...it sounds wrong to hear you say it now. But, I suppose you would know better than I would.

[simplestgift]

[A sigh. He doesn't usually talk about this kind of thing with non-military, but...]

The best possible outcome of a battle at sea is that no one, not even your enemies, is hurt. That way you've taken a prize vessel and a good many men to add to your crew. Even bloody battles--young boys vanishing in a splash of red--it happens more often in the army than in the navy. In the navy, you're more likely to die of disease or accident than in battle.

[consultmybooks]

[Giles nods slowly, following Kennedy's words with attention even if he's still trying to make out the forest beyond their chosen point.] From everything I heard over the journals before we were brought out, we're still more likely to die of accident or disease out here.

[simplestgift]

[An odd smile spreads across the lieutenant's face.] Almost feels like home.

[consultmybooks]

[Giles chuckles darkly.] And I thought Sunnydale had its problems.

[simplestgift]

Well, from what I understand, it does.

[consultmybooks]

[He looks sidelong at Kennedy.]

How much has Buffy told you?

[simplestgift]

A...gateway to some sort of...

[Okay, he doesn't really get it, and/or is afraid he'll sound crazy if he says it and gets it wrong.]

[consultmybooks]

Hell dimension.

...a hell dimension. Or possibly all of them. we were never certain, just that the world would end if it ever opened.

There was also one in Cleveland, but we never seemed to get around to it.

[simplestgift]

More than one hell? Why would such a thing be...

[He doesn't get around to finishing that sentence.]