OOC
  You guys do your homework - the Explorers are sea worthy, kinda. They can go right over water. So with that...

IC
    "Raleigh, check out the Explorer's rudders and make sure she's good to drive right over the river."
    "Roger that. Telgar, check yours out and we'll meet in the middle."

    Knowing he will soon encounter his former captors, silently Payne prepares mentally.  After a quick meal of rations, Payne methodicly(sp?) prepares his equipment. Once that is complete, he says to the group "I will take the second watch." Payne agrees to join Bud and Kah'liss in their studies to provide a good shot if something comes from the bushes at them, and he intends to catch a few zzzs later before his watch.. BudRREEPboopboopboop equips himself with various geo-scanners and his weapon and defensive screen, and quietly heads off into the nearby brush, scanning the plantlife and the ground. Payne and Kah'liss accompany BudReeep - Kah'liss to assist in the readings, and Payne in case there are any surprises.
    Telgar takes the spare time afforded to him by the group trying to decide to cross or not cross and makes a preliminary check on the status of Explorer 2. He crawls under the vehicle to check for any damage resulting from the massive root system they had just passed over.

DAMAGE ROLLS MADE  (secret results)

    Raleigh takes the opportunity to give the explorer a full inspection, repairing or replacing whatever he can that needs such. If the procedure takes all night, he will work in shifts with Telgar so as they can at least get a little sleep.
    "Well wouldn't you know it..." Raleigh moans, crawling from underneath the first explorer. "I guess she's been good to us so far, but we've got a busted spricket convertor down here. Look at this, Telgar."
    The enforcer drops to his knees, sinking an inch into the soft mud, and checks the undercarriage. Sure enough, there was some damage to the engine coupling. "Extra coils in the Teckkits, right?"
    "Last time I checked," Raleigh assures. He announces to the rest of the group there is some work that needs to be done, and it'll probably take several hours.
    "Need any help with that?" Telgar asks.
    "Nah, it's muddy enough under there and cramped. Don't need to put two through it. You could hand me down the techkit, though," he answers as he takes Telgar's place underneath the vehicle. Telgar procures the techkit and offers to take first watch, since they'll be around awhile.
    Telgar gears up, putting his skeinsuit on and taking with him his weapons of choice for a watch: a Needler rifle, two laser pistols, and his trusty knife. He brings along his IR goggles for after the sun sets and will also be toting a pair of magnigoggles for the left over daylight. Finally, snatching an everflame, he will declare himself ready.
    Eyeing the closest bachanda tree, Telgar climbs about 10 meters into it, finally resting on a strong branch. The elevated branch gives him a good strategic  view of the area.
    Brenon and Zhirrzh remain near the Explorers, setting up an impromptu camp and also keeping an eye out for anything that may serve as dinner.

    "Very interesting, the chloroflormatic levels in the stamen of this species," Kah'liss remarks, fingering the large blooming plant before him. BudReeep connects the diodes of the Bioscanner to the petals, punches a bizarre pattern of buttons, and soon the Bioscanner whirrs and beeps as it makes its recordings. The Dralasite makes his own entry in his datapad. "Yes, agreeing. Note here the unique juncture of the Sapal to the Calyx, underneath the Pedical of the stem," BudReeep's Poly Vox replies. "Not unlike the Rhododendron species of White Light".
    Bud continues with collecting data. He finds no large mineral deposits nearby, and it will take several hours to study the weather patterns accurately. Hopefully, with enough study, he will be able to forsee any natural calamity.
    Payne groans aloud and scans the lake. Hoping a shark or something would launch itself in attack, he readies his rifle. This talk was loathsome. Who cared about the Calyx of the stem, or whatever those two were chattering on about. Turning, his eyes move to the nearby woods. A sharp shriek echoes from the trees, and Payne watches as three small birds dive from the upper branches. Crashing into a large lizard, they immediately begin tearing at it with their claws and beak. The shriek of the birds seem to be their main weapon, as the lizard was stunned by the shrill and unexpected cries. Payne grins. "Hmmph, did you see that?"
    Bud and Kah'liss had witnessed the event, that shrill bringing their attention as well. Bud and Kah'liss take vid pictures of the birds, storing their likeness in their datapads. They begin a discussion on the carnivorous strategies of the smaller species, and Payne again turns to lookout, hoping they finished their research of the area soon.

NEW SPECIES DOCUMENTED in REPORT

    After initial investigation of the most notable species of plant/animal life, Bud enlists the willing help of Payne. Wanting to procure a potential dinner for the evening before the sun dropped, the three go on forage.

[DieRoll BudReeep]
Survival Roll
Base +4
 -1CS (Bud not skilled in Forest)
Adjusted +3
Roll = 53    FAIL

    Unable to procure anything in the immediate area, Bud looks closer, examining the soft mud for tracks, looking for broken twigs which might indicate a passing creature.
[DieRoll BudReeep]
Tracking
Base +2
    Roll = 34    PASS

    Pointing out a rather large set of tracks near the lake and leading into a small creek bed, Payne eagerly joins the trail of this creature. A few minutes later, a single laser shot echoes through the area. Answered by the excited squeals of nearby creatures who didn't like their home disturbed, the nearby animals soon forget the event, save for a single loud insect that continues to buzz angrily from the woods. Payne, Bud, and Kah'liss return to camp carrying a 20kg lizard-looking creature.
 

[DieRoll Zhirrzh]
Survival
Base +3
    Roll = 98    FAIL

[DieRoll Zhirrzh]
Tracking
Base +2
    Roll = 73    FAIL

    Zhirrzh and Brenon fare no better in their hunt for food. They encounter nothing more than rodent-sized reptiles. While they may make good snacks, they elect to move on and consider setting up fishing poles in the lake.

[DieRoll Raleigh]
Vehicle - Repair
Base +2
    Roll = 63    FAIL

{{{ Damn, Jeff, why don't I roll anything good?? }}}

    Raleigh slides himself from underneath the Explorer. "Worse than I thought. May take a bit longer. Hey Brenon, might want to go ahead and make camp, I'll probably be on this for a good 5 or 6 hours. The manifold of the Ion Bonding lift is damaged as well - I have to remove the sprocket converter to get to it." He sighs. "Guess I'm here to earn my pay now, huh?"

    Telgar listens to Raleigh from the branch of the bachanda tree. Shaking his head at the bad news, he watches as Raleigh prepares to settle in for the long haul - setting up lights for work through the growing darkness. A brisk breeze begins to pick up and Telgar takes a deep breath of it. It was the first time the team had been by a large body of water since landing on Volturnus, and it was a pleasant change of environment.
    Suddenly, Telgar senses something out of place. A strange smell, or noise perhaps? Something that came with the breeze and lingered. He glances around, readying his Needler rifle. Finally, glancing up, he sees dozens of dangling "chutes" approaching closer to his head. " 'Hell is that?" he shrieks, ducking his head. The only way to avoid the advancing tendrils was...down. Telgar tries to jump from the tree...
 
 

[DieRoll Telgar]
Reaction Speed Check
    Roll = 52    PASS (by 2 points!)

    Telgar leaps from the branch, landing in a roll on the ground below. Brenon and Zhirrzh are immediately at his side, weapons pointed treeward. Raleigh shuffles from under the Explorer, Bud and his team come trotting up with their prey as well, but are still a good 30 meters away.
    To everyone's horror/curiosity/surprise, you count 15 such creatures in the branches above. These jelly-fish like creatures are gigantic- some of the larger ones are 10 meters in diameter. Resting in the branches above Telgar's spot, the long tendrils flit in the wind, giving the appearance of a great beast grasping blindly for prey.
    Brenon shakes his head and nearly laughs. "I don't know why I am surprised each time we see something new. I should expect stuff like this now. Of course, jellyfish who live in trees. Makes perfect sense to me."
    Watching these "chutes" further, you see their mode of transportation is the wind itself. You see a breeze lift one from a branch. Bobbing along the air, it lands in another nearby. Despite their large size, these creatures must be extremely light. This particular group may be in danger, actually - if the wind takes them from the trees nearby, they will no doubt fall to the ground near the team, or even land in the lake. They do not seem mobile themselves, but solely dependent on the whim of passing breezes for their movement. Kind of like gigantic dandelions.
    The wind does in fact ground one of these creatures. It lands 15 meters away quietly on the ground. Gingerly taking a closer look, you see its skin is translucent. Once it is grounded, you can see it is doomed to spend the rest of its life stuck there. There is some slight movement by the main body, which is about 8 meters in diameter, but it is surely...stuck.

NEW SPECIES DOCUMENTED in REPORT.
(This is what further study by Bud and Kah'liss reveal)
 

OOC

Well, since Telgar passed the Reaction check, he avoided the tendrils. Could have gotten into a quick firefight, but you avoided it. That's all I am writing tonight and I will continue after any comment on the situation. What do you want to do what that thing on the ground, if anything?
  Do not be concerned with camping here - those chutes will eventually move on, luckily for them deeper into the woods. They will graze in the trees for 30 minutes or so, and then be swept away.
Raleigh will make the repairs by midnight, so you can elect to camp here or press on.