The Jawpig Hunt

At the suggestion of Mr. Shalkash, the troopers decided to go hunting for Jawpigs, the delicious local apex predators. The bridge crew and engineers remained behind to finish up the last of the pre-flights and adjustments on the drives, electronics, and primary weapon systems. It was known that a pack lived in the woods to the north of the plantation, so they all piled into a rangetruck after sunset and headed out, Blackbird Jack at the wheel. While the troopers were out, a delivery gravtruck showed up and dropped off two five-ton pallets of sealed "grains" of some sort. Mr. Shalkash apparently expected the delivery but declined to elaborate on the contents. The bridge crew inspected the containers as they were loaded, and determined that the cargo was in armored boxes of some sort. Mr. Shalkash insisted that the cargo be stored up in the nose cargo bay, sealed in and isolated from the rest of it. Nothing else was said about it, though several pointed looks were exchanged.

After about a mile, the team parked at the base of a low hill, and split up into two groups. The sensible ones headed to the top of the hill, where they set up a sniper hide and surveyed the thicket in the valley below. Using night scopes and thermals, they were able to spot the pack about 400m to the west. Trooper Van Anst (an experienced woodsman) and Trooper Melric (loaded with heavy weaponry) moved up more closely. Trooper Van Anst was able to bring one down with a spear, finishing it with a sword. A pair of Jawpigs charged Trooper Melric, who brought them down with his heavy laser rifle and then with an ACR.  The sounds of combat alerted the rest of the pack to the presence of humans, and they rushed towards the two troopers. Fortunately, the rest of the team was able to provide accurate covering fire from a distance, stopping the fearsome beasts before they were close enough to bite Troopers Van Anst and Melton into bloody chunks. 

The only casualty of the evening happened in the post-operational phase, after the team reunited to gather and butcher the Jawpig carcasses for transport. Asst. Troop Leader "Old Man" was standing beneath a tree directing activities, when he was stung by a "Strig", a shoe-sized scorpion-like omnivore that fell off a branch and landed on his shoulder. The group hurried back to the plantation, where quick and skillful medical intervention from Dr. Misanthropia saved his life. By the time he was back on his feet, Gunner Tomar Farrell has managed to roast one of the Jawpigs over a firepit, serving everyone a delicious meaty feast. In the morning, the crew boarded the MV Ruby Costa for the first time, and they departed Bantral. Pilot Bonnie Greson took the ship out of Bantral's atmosphere on a low, fast plot to avoid being tracked by local ATC, while astrogator Korey Crider plotted their course to the Senlis Foederate some 11 parsecs away. The lights dimmed, and the ship jumped without incident.