h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*Affy walks up to the Multi-Dimensional Rift thingamabob, goes to a very large lever, puts on some safety goggles and gloves, and pulls the lever in a very dramatic way, producing lots of special effects, such as lightning zipping around the room, twenty foot tall Joseph's Ladders being activated, disco lights turning on, then off, and basically a lot of stuff that makes for a goods sci-fi movie. A large object (resembling a bulkhead) spins open (not unlike the Stargate, but not exactly), revealing a multi-colored rift in the space/time continuum!*

Well, I'm ready! Follow me!

*Jumps in, headfirst*

*Falls in on the other side, stand up, and brushes himself off*

Well, this is good. We're actually in a jungle! Not exactly a familiar looking one, but it's definitely a jungle!

*Lil and Ferrari jump through in short order, Ferrari with great style*
*Ferrari immediately begins to sniff and nibble the undergrowth experimentally*

*Lil picks herself up* Yes, definitely a high-canopy jungle. The noises aren't familiar either, but definitely jungle-like. Can you eat that stuff, Ferrari?

*Ferrari nods with satisfaction*

Wow! Cool rift! OK, let's see if I have everything. Backpack, Akubra.. Yep.

*Jumps through, lands flat on face*

Mmmmph. Made it!
*looks around*
Oh this is great! I love the high canopy. Makes it much easier to get around at ground level. Less dense ground growth.
*listens*
Yes, the sounds are different, but I think I hear water... sounds like a stream or rivulet running across rocks.

*Dives through the portal, rolls to the left and comes to a crouching position, snowzar in hand. Does a quick 360 degree scan. Does a slower 360 degree scan. Sees no immediate danger. Stands up. Holsters the snowzar. Brushes off suit. Pulls out automapper and punches in the code to remember this spot, since everyone will eventually need to get back here to go home.*

Well, so far, so good.

*Something can be heard, off to the right, crashing through the bush away from the group. GL looks around at the group.*

All here except Odra and Red.

*gets up once again after dropping to the ground to avoid the snowzar in the 360*

Nice entrance, GL.

Good to see you've got the automapper. I was hoping we wouldn't be marking our trail by dropping breadcrumbs or something

So what do you think our approach should be once we get everyone here? Pick a direction and go? Or establish a base camp somewhere around here and work out from there?

Well, as this is a search and explore sort of safari, we probably don't need a base camp. The pick-a-direction-and-go-for-it method of attack has always worked for me in the past

Perhaps we should work our way towards that water sound that you pointed out earlier. Interesting things are often found by water.

*Looks around clearing. No paths are immediately observable.*

Looks like it might be a bit of work getting around here.

The water sound was to our... *realizes he has no idea of north, south, etc. here, and points* ... that way.

While you're checking out the perimeter of the clearing, I'll whip up our first pots of coffee and tea. I always find that it helps me, but then again, I'm an addict.

*quickly takes out pocket-sized solid-fuel stove, unfolds pan, adds water from canteen. Uses battery-powered grinder to grind coffee beans, takes out tea, Melitta drip, two Air Pots*

*a few minutes later*
OK, we've got one pot of French Roast and one pot of Earl Grey. These pots will keep it hot for about 12 hours.

Let me know whenever you want some. You did bring your own cups didn't you?

*puts away cooking gear*

*Prowls around the perimeter of the clearing. Hears water to the North, where RB pointed. Returns to group. Pulls out collapsable cup from pocket in cape. Pours coffee.*

Thanks for the coffee, RB. The jungle looks slightly less dense to the northeast. We can hack our way through there and work around to the north and the water.

*Takes sip of coffee. Cup collapses, sending hot coffee down the front of GL's shirt.*

And when we find the water, I have some laundry to do.

*leaps through portal, hits the ground scurrying, continues about 15 feet up a tree wrapped in vine*

You forgot me.

sniff sniff sniff sniff

Something I don't know went that way. toward water. monkeys up there. Safe here though.

*comes down tree and washes face* Any food?

*removes package of pressed mbougatses from saddlebag and throws one to Styx, then puts the package by the teapot*
*removes cup from another saddlebag and helps herself to tea*

It makes sense that something would head for water. That's what we plan to do. Isn't it? *looks uneasy*

Yes, it is always good to know where a supply of water can be found. That is, if it is water. I suppose we really can't assume anything. This sure looks like an earth jungle, but we could be on some other planet, for all we know. A planet with clear-running streams of mercury or something. Only one way to find out, though.

*grins *

I think that's where we can depend on the animal's noses. In fact, I think we can rely on them to tell us whether the water is drinkable.

Odra has been away for a number of days. Did she say she was going somewhere for the weekend?

Not to my recollection, but I've never been good at keeping tabs on people.

*Pulls out a compass and a strange-looking device*

This device has several scanners. It can tell us whether a certain plant is poisonous, what stuff is made of, and can even perform bio-scans for an area of about ten cubic feet. Not much, but you never know. Hey, where's Red?

I haven't seen Red since he announced the intermission was over. I'd hate to continue the exploration without them. It would be nice to have the whole group together before we start heading through the forest, but if it comes down to it eventually we could leave some kind of homing device for them to find us.

*notices slight movement*
Hey, Affy, do you think you could point your bio-scanner at that clump of vines on the north edge of the clearing?

*Scans, but the rustling moves away too quickly*

Drat! I almost had it.

*Checks what the scanner could show*

Okay, whatever it was was an animal, a primate about . . . five feet tall? I'd guess it's just a big ape, curious about what we're up to.

we'll see.
*darts into the low undergrowth at the endge of the clearing*

*Sits down and waits for Styx to return*

*styx scampers back and grabs another slice of mbogatse*
Monkey!
*looks at afgncaap5 and grins*
You threw monkeys in here and they grew! Maybe I cangrow too! he heh heh, I'll be a big rat.
*stops grinning*
You could grow too.

*Gets a cup of coffee. Sits on a rock. Looks up at the clouds and sees lots of sheep, but little else. Begins to feel tired, then stops counting the sheep. Sips coffee.*