Hunting on Karra

[Mrrew]

Neuraniam (( Objective : Complete an entire role-play from the first person perspective in which you only use the first pronoun ( “I” or “me” or “my” ) only six times. ))


Karra. Another planet no one's ever heard of, with some kind of obscure animal someone wanted. Usually people asked for things like Terentateks, Rancors, even the occasional Exogorth... but every once in a while someone came up with something that requires holonet searches to even figure out what it is. Two somethings. Well, three, but another hunter was handling the Swarmers. This trip was for Karran Beetles, and Legworms... Karran beetles were fairly basic; just giant bugs. But the legworms... The holonet page was vague, at best. But all it really said was they were ten meter long multi-legged creatures. Wouldn't that make it a centipede? You would think people would be more specific on the holonet... Anyone trying to hunt them down would have no idea what they were up against. Didn't matter. Everything that would be needed to hunt these things was already ready- Chiru rifle, net gun, a pack of bait. Not that the holonet said what the beetles or legworms ate, either.... But it's safe to assume meat, right? They shouldn't be too hard to find, either way. Hopefully.

 

[Mrrew]

As I walked into the forests, doubts that hunting these things would be easy in any way started to come to mind. No one knew anything about them. They could be centipeded like, carnivores. Or millepedes, herbivores. Or anything else all together. And the beetles... All anyone knew was they were large enough that they were ridden by the Karrans. They could spit acid, for all anyone trying to hunt them knew. Hunting things like Krayt Dragons, Rancors, Leviothons was easy compared to hunting something you know nothing about. A tight grip on the Chiru Rifle ensured that I wouldn't be caught off guard. Hopefully. Just a little deeper into the forest, then it was time to lay the bait...

 

[Mrrew]

This is far enough in. The sound of insects droned on in the trees, making it hard to hear anything else in the area. Thinking oteh information the holnet had, no one knew if the beetles ate meat either... This could do nothing other then attract scavengers. Had to figure it out one way or another, though. If nothing happened, nothing happened... The next half hour was busied by throwing bantha meat around the area, putting it in forks of trees, under rocks, out in the open. Anywhere, really. The idea was to attract as much animal attention as possible. Anything that wasn't Karran beetle or legworm would be ignored. If they didn't try to have a Togorian lunch, that is.

 

[Mrrew]

Things started scuttling out from under works within minutes. And scuttling is certainly the right term. Small insects, scavengers, flies the size of a human's fist looking for any of the meat sutiable to lay eggs in. The droning in the trees was almost tuned out by the buzzing of thousands of insect wings. Interesting. Sitting up in a tree was usually the best way to ambush something in bait situations, but none of these trees looked strong enough... So plan B. Hiding in some foliage. There was plenty of that, luckily. My Chiru rifle was ready. Now just to wait, and watch the insects fight over bantha.

 

[Mrrew]

It wasn't long before larger predators began to appear. And by larger predators, that meant the Karran Beetles. The description ont eh holonet didn't dot ehm justice. Giant black-carpaced creatures, mandibles long enough to impale a human, fighting like angry hogs over the largest pieces of meat. That's when I noticed the problem. The carpaces. Chiru rifle darts were menat to puncture armor, they could get through even Terentatek hide, but they were only so long. The carpaces looked to be much to thick for a dart to do any damage... And they needed to be taken alive, in one piece. Which meant tranqulizer was nessasary. It would be posisble to get a dart between the segments of it's carpace... but that was a dangerous shot. Miss, and two giant beetles attack. Then again, that seemed like the only option...

 

[Mrrew]

Things tend to happen when you waste time contemplating. Both beetles suddenly stopped bickering at once, and spun around. Before event he fastest aim coudl get a shot off, both had disispeared into the forest. A look in the directiont hey'd run from showed no reason for them to just up and run out of nowhere... But there were sounds coming from that direction. Trampllingfoliage, snapping twigs. Something was running through the forest, there, and fast. The Chiru rifle was readied and aimed in a moment... The sounds got closer. The plants began to shake. And dozens of giant beetles burst from the bushes.

 

[Mrrew]

A karran beetle stampeded. Not something one suspects to see. Nor does one usually expect them to be heading straight for you. Nor does one expect a giant centipede-like creature, at least ten meters long, to be chasing the beetles- causing the stampeded. And that would be a legworm. At least a picture on the holonet would've been useful... A quick dive made sure no trampling occured, but it also made sure the Chiru rifle meant to take out the things doing the trampling was left under the stampede. No chance of using that, any time soon.

 

[Mrrew]

Bad news; no tranqulizer to shoot the beetles. Good news; blaster pistols work just as well. They don't take the beetles alive- but that could come later. The legworm, assuming that's what it was, would be harder to find if beetles were running around in stampedes. It was first priority. But it was also needed alive... So rather then shooting the centipeded, shooting the beetles would work just as well. It was obviously hunting. Meaning it wanted food. meaning, it would stand to reason, once it caught food, it woudl eat it. Meaning it would have to stand still. Meaning it would be easy to shoot. Hopefully. If it didn't just turn around, and add Togorian to it's menu.

 

[Mrrew]

Apperantly, luck was in the air today. The centipede-like creature was quick to stop chasing the scurryingbeetles, and investigate the ones that seemingly dropped dead. It wasn't long before a pair of long dropping mandibles was beginning to tear apart the beetle's exoskeleton. Maybe this was why there wans't much information on them... Everyone that tried got eaten. It would be an easy shot, straight into one of the segment creases in the creature's shell....Oh,e xcept one problem. The Chiru rifle was still in the middle of the trail the stampede had created. A good two feet from where the legworm was eating.

 

[Mrrew]

Going over to the Chiru rifle would surely alert the feasting centipede. Shooting it with anything else would surely kill it. Alerting the worm beast would probably result in getting flesh torn in places flesh should not be torn. Choices, choices. Throw a rock at the legworm's head and see what happens it is. A little feeling around below the bushes and one good throw later, a good sized mossy rock smashed into the centipeded's face. It didn't notice. At all. It just kept ripping bits of beetle off, and swallowing. Plan B, it is. Which was a pretty simple plan. Run out of the bushes, and hope not to get eaten.