Kahliss had taken what time he could to curl up after performing extensive auto-surgery.  The effects lingering on for quite awhile, leaving him in a constant wash of sleepiness and hazy reality.
It was quite awhile before he realized that the Oasis he kept hearing about was not a product of his dreams.  Of course that meant it was now his job to determine if the water was safe or not, this would have been a good time to have Lyrium still around.  He reaches and removes the Toxyrad gauge, then stumbles to the water.  He reaches down and pulls a sample.  The water is cool to the touch, and unexpectantly, free of immediate dangers. He does expect something to lurch out at any moment and drag him screeching in.
        After a minute, the gauge lights flash green and Kah'liss studies the short report.  "It appears that the water is ... fresh, potable water.  A true oasis in a desert of death." He looks up, "Brenon, if that is true, then I would suggest being doubly careful.  In most environments such as these, the most dangerous predatory  creatures would stalk areas such as these for the weaker, dehydrated prey."
  Upon hearing the okay for the water, Raleigh rushes over to wash himself and take a drinkg. He finishes cleansing himself in the water of the Oasis, actually feeling a bit better despite the burn marks that still scarr his chest. Toweling off his head, he watches as Brennon takes the Subspace from the Explorer and sets it up for transmission.
    Approaching him slowly and speaking quietly, Raleigh addresses him, "Hey Boss, why dont we hold off on that till were
ready to get out of here. They may be able to track the signal and I think if we can spend a day or two here it mean alot to Kahliss and Zhirrzh. What do ya say?"
    Brenon looks to Raliegh, "I'd really like to get a message back to Streel, and SOON. Our situation here is fairly grim and HQ needs to know that. The sooner they know we're down here the better, and the sooner they know the sooner something can be done about it. I was thinking maybe tomorrow, after we've had a good rest we should take the explorer out about 15 clicks, find a rock formation and make a transmission there. What do you think?"
    Kay'liss passes by, Brenon breaks away from Raliegh for a sec, "Kay'liss, while we're here, try an take as many samples from around here as possible." Brenon then returns his attention to Raliegh.
    Raleigh nods as he stares out into the endless desert. "Good idea. It will probably attract the attention of pirates in another jetcopter though and if they can put two and two together they may see through our deception. We may want to think about moving again after the transmission is made...or..." he trails off, deep in thought. Looking back to Brennon he smiles, "Sure would be nice to know where all of these Pirates are coming from though, wouldnt it?!!"
        Kah'liss trots slowly over, mumbling under his breath about 'go this way - go that way' mentalities.  Darn it, everyone, He is a doctor, not a gopher.  Not to mention a doctor still recovering from getting his chest seared through.  What the heck is he going to know about tactics or subspace radios.  His one guess at tactics had proven dead wrong.
The scar on his chest was a reminder of that.  He really didn't listen to what Brenon had to say.  He just listened in on the off chance someone would remark about science fact, medical needs, or perhaps make yet another conflicting comment as to what he should be analyzing right now.  Vrusk, he was tired.  You'd think they would let the recently dead get a longer nap...
    Winking to Brennon, Raleigh addresses Kahliss after everyone is gathered around him. "Heh, Kahliss...could
ya hand me that wrench over there?" Waiting for Kahliss to hand him the wrench in question, he continues, "actually, how about that coil of wire in my toolbox?" He will continue the charade until Kahliss figures it out and verbally berates him for
his bedside manner. :)
    "Seriously folks," Raleigh continues after the fun is over,"Ive got an idea. Now this will take some planning by you shooters but this may give us some leads as to our rude hosts. Tomorrow morning, after Zhirrzh and Kahliss get a FULL nights rest (Dr's orders), Brennon and I will go make a transmission. The plan will be to drive out into the desert a bit
and find a few rock formations. We will hide Telgar up in one and make the call and then exit. Hopefully the Pirates will come a runnin to find us and at least we can get a bearing on the hideout from there. Brennon, I think the stratagy would be better worked out by you so you have the floor..."
    Kahliss grumbles but does as ordered, darn it .. that hurt.  He hands the wrench over.  Then he goes for the coil of wire.  Followed by the Hydrospanner.  Then the ... "Frag it Raleigh, I'm a doctor, not an automated tool dispenser.  Get your own tool if you want them."  Yup, the has definitely gone to his head, breaking his usually tongue-tieing polite comments.
    He does like the mention of a full night's rest though, not going to here a word of complaint from him.  He continues to listen to Brenon's plan.
   Zhirrzh looks up sharply from where he is working on his snares.
    "Now wait one damn minute," Zhirrzh interrupts. "We've have had a moment's rest since we arrived here at Hell planet. We've been in battle every day and there hasn't been a one of us who hasn't been injured."
    Zhirrzh jumps to his feet, his temper starting to surface.
    "What you're proposing will just bring more trouble. If not in the form of one 'copter, then several 'copters. What are we supposed to do when half a dozen 'copters decide to come flying down on us? The sensible thing would be for us to stay here for a couple of days and relax and heal. In the shape we're in, our next fight will cost us more lives."
    Raleigh stands his ground, listening to the Yazirians anger over his suggestion. When Zhirrzh finishes, Raleigh urges him to sit down again before replying. "What ever you say big guy. I just figured that if Brennon was going to make the call, we might as well try to get a little bit of Intel out of it. I wasnt, by any means, suggesting a conflict like the last time though. You are the tactician so ultimately it's up to you, Telgar, and Brennon." With that he gives Zhirrzh a smile and gets back to
his check of the Explorers vitals.
    Telgar speaks up, "Usually, I don't like to wait around but instead prefer to just go ahead and do what needs to be done, but I agree with Zhirrzh on this one, Brennon.  I believe we have the skills and luck to survive against another copter... maybe two, but we wouldn't last long if the pirates decided they really wanted us.  I think we need the rest.  Kah'Liss needs to be rested up in order to keep the rest of us going and we need time to let our injuries heal as well.  I don't think we would be performing at peak efficiency if we encountered more pirates when sending the signal.
    "I do realize that we don't know what indigenous creature may take us next and that Streel needs to be notified, but I think it would be much appreciated if we could stay a day or two here before doing so.  I believe it would also provide us a chance to do some environmental research and gather samples for Streel in the mean time, so it wouldn't be a total loss."
        Telgar looks at Brennon and then looks back at Zhirrzh in order to see if his comments were mutually accepted.  He waits for Brennon's response...
    Zhirrzh nods to Telgar from where he is again working on his snares. "Right. I recommend we stay here for at least the next 36 hours to let our injuries heal and get a little research in. After that, we can try to send a signal, dig in under some hard cover, and wait to see if any pirates show up," he confirms.
    Brenon listens intently to the team's discussion. "It's not so much the timeframe I'm interested in, it's the plan. I agree with you Zhirrzh, several of you need rest." It wasn't until this moment that Brenon could see the wear and tear present on Zhirrzh, Kay'liss and Telgar's faces. Yeah, these three had been through a lot. They needed rest, relaxation and time to heal.
     "You're right Zhirrzh, you, kay'liss and telgar should get some rest. Raliegh and I will make provisions around the camp. You three find a good spot to hunker down in and get some nighty nighty. We'll do shift rotations as follows, Ralieghs got first watch, I'll take the second and Telgar the last. Raliegh and my shift will be 3 hours, yours Telgar will be 2."
    Telgar walks over to Zhirrzh and begins helping with the snares where he can.
    Brenon continues his conversation with Raliegh about a plan. They discuss it for about an hour then turn their attention to chores around the camp and relaxing. Brenon pulls his boots off and puts his feet in the water; as he props himself against a palm tree. He looks over to Raliegh, "Let's stay here 2 or 3 days, if the others look/seem good and fit we'll head out. If not
we'll give it a third day. Besides it would give us some time to collect samples/specimens."

Orders to all:
Brenon will state that all finished ration containers, foods, Excrement,
etc.. need to be buried at the opposite end of the site so as to not
attract vermin to our camp. He'll also point out that the spot we pick to
burry our excrement etc... should be layed with snares and what not. For
the purpose of concealment, there will be no surface fires. Pit fires will
be allowed provided the pit is of a depth that conceals any light pollution.

After two days Brenon will get Raliegh's and Kay'liss opinion on whether or
not the group as a whole is fit to fight and travel. If so we'll head out.
 

OOC
The rolls I made for the medical treatment last turn apply now, while Kah'liss takes this free time to perform care on himself and Zhirrzh.

IC
    Raleigh tends to the first watch as discussed. Scanning the area, he watches the smaller insects and reptiles as they live their lives around the oasis, unknowing or uncaring of the new visitors. He looks around the ground, noting that most of the area is still sand, save for a few meter diameter of brush surrounding the water hole. He can't help but wonder if one of those funnel worms is lurking somewhere underfoot.
    Raleigh's watch passes uneventfully, save for a small exaggerated celebration when a large iguana looking creature succumbed to one of Zhirrzh's snares. Yesterday's ration of pasty Survival food made the creature look like a succulent dinner. After Kah'liss hooks the Bioscanner to the reptile, he gives the waited seal of approval for consumption.
    Brenon takes second watch, and Raleigh heads to the Explorer to give it a good rundown.

[Die Roll for Random Encounter (2x per day - I did roll for yesterday as well)]
DieRoll = 8
    No Random Encounter

    Brenon's watch ends without event, and as the Volturnian sun goes down and the 2nd moon rises, the team prepares the deep fire pits and begins roasting their hunt over a fire.

Evening.
[Die Roll for Random Encounter - Evening roll]
DieRoll = 7
    No Random Encounter.

    Evening passes without any event.

Day 3 on Volturnus.

    Kah'liss watches over Raleigh as he performs first aid on both himself and on Zhirrzh, proving further input and instruction.
[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wounds I on Zhirrzh
    Roll = 78    Result = YELLOW    3 point healed
        Zhirrzh's current Stamina = 22
        1 Biocort used

[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wounds I on Kah'liss
    Roll = 5    Result = COBALT    12 points healed
        Kah'liss' current Stamina = 31
        1 Biocord used

[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wounds I on Raleigh
    Roll = 54    Result = GREEN   6 points healed
        Raleigh's current Stamina = 39
        1 Biocort used

    Kah'liss clicks approvingly at Raleigh's work. He corrected the mistake he made on Zhirrzh, and Kah'liss himself felt almost as good as new. Kah'liss then performs further care on Zhirrzh:

[DieRoll Kah'liss]
Wounds II on Zhirrzh
    Roll = 32    Result = GREEN    10 points healed
        Zhirrzh's current Stamina = 32
        1 Biocort used
        1 Anaesthetic used

[DieRoll Kah'liss]
Wounds II on Kah'liss
    Roll = 90    Result = WHITE       0 points healed
        Kah'liss' current Stamina = 31
        1 Biocort used

[Random Encounters:  DayRoll = 10  EveningRoll = 8]

    The next day passes uneventfully on Volturnus. The team has no problem feasting on the small creatures that call the Oasis home and they conserve their own stock for a later time.

Day 4 on Volturnus.
[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wounds I on Zhirrzh
    Roll = 94    Result = WHITE    0 points healed
        Zhirrzh's current Stamina = 32
        1 Biocort used

    Apparrently, Raleigh is still having difficulty working on the Yazirian race... :)

[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wounds I on Kah'liss
    Roll  = 97    Result = WHITE    0 points healed.
        Kah'liss' current Stamina = 31
        1 Biocord used

    Apparrently, Raleigh isn't having a very good day... :)

[DieRoll Kah'liss]
Wounds II on Zhirrzh
    Roll = 19    Result = BLUE    15 points healed.
        Zhirrzh's current Stamina = 46
        1 Biocord used
        1 Anaesthetic used

[DieRoll Kah'liss]
Wounds II on Kah'liss
    Roll = 82    Result = WHITE    0 points healed
        Kah'liss' current Stamina = 31
        1 Biocort used.

    Apparrently, Kah'liss has had some problems with the self-surgical kit...

For the nearly two days of rest at the oasis, each character has healed an addition 2 Stamina points:
    Kah'liss' current Stamina = 33 (40)
    Zhirrzh's current Stamina = 48 (50)
    Brenon's current Stamina = 65 (65)
    Raleigh's current Stamina = 39 (45)
    Telgar's current Stamina = 62 (62)

[DieRoll Random Encounters:    DayRoll = 2 .....]
    Whose watch this occurred [1d4] = Raleigh

    Midday.
    Everyone knew it had to be just a matter of time before some of the predatory creatures came poking around the Oasis for their feeding. Volturnus continues to provide some of the nastiest creatures, Raleigh recounted later, as it was his watch that they arrived.

[DieRoll Raleigh]
    Intuition check     --- you better hope you make this Raleigh :)
    Roll = 45    CHECK PASS

    Raleigh stood some 20 meters away from the Oasis, near the team's home for the past day and a half. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, perhaps 15 meters away, further from the oasis, a small spray of sand erupted from the ground. Closeby, another followed. It gave the impression of a jumping fish. At first, terror pierced Raleigh's veins as the image of the horrific Sand worm filled his mind. But this was different. He saw an indestinguishable body part temporarily rise above ground, only to sink back underneath the sand. To say it was a fish jumping from water would be the perfect description...but that was sand. Raleigh readied his weapon, not knowing what to expect, and already untrusting things that lived underground on Volturnus.
    On the surface of the sand, he sees a very telltale ripple in the sand, approaching directly towards him. Perhaps 10 meters behind the first ripple, a second ripple in the sand follows. Raleigh raises his Wartech rifle and fires.

[DieRoll Raleigh]
Wartech Gyrojet Rifle
PGS Skill +1    Base Column = +1
    Hard cover Sand Shark = -2
    Point Blank Range = +2
    Modified Column = +1
    Die Roll = 97    MISS
    Die Roll = 77    MISS
    Die Roll = 1     CRITICAL HIT  125% damage = 35 damage
        Special Damage Modified Roll = 8
            Head wound 50% chance unconscious (Roll = 79)  Not unconscious

    Raleigh sees the bursts of sand around the approaching ripple. His last shot hits home, right as the as yet invisible foe surfaces to attack. He knows he makes the shot, right square on the thing's head, but it lunges out in its feeding fury. What looked like a jumping fish now surfaces to reveal what looks like a...shark? Approximately 3 meters long, with a wedge-shaped head. 12 pairs of short, stubby legs line the eyeless creature, serving as its propulsion underneath the sand.
 

[DieRoll Sand Shark #2]
    Base Column = +3
    Roll = 45    YELLOW    5 damage
        Raleigh's current Stamina = 34

========================================
Referee's Note:

Doh!  You were so close to coming to the next big part of the adventure, but sometimes you just
gotta deal with predators, I guess. Volturnus just isn't nice to you all, is it?

Well, you've got another combat going on....let me know what weapons you're using, what SEU, etc, and what you are planning on doing...

And have a happy 4th of July!!!

Jeff