Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Games

(( Hey guys, sorry for not posting in the thread for awhile, just been busy with some things IRL. Will get Jag's stuff wrapped up soon. ))

"You should, convict." Said Maddox while practically spitting out the last word. Before the situation could develop further, Frosty stepped in. "Not at all." Said Maddox as he returned to the workbench.

"Friends, I know we all come from different walks of life with different views and different allegiances, but we have to act as a team. We can't let this kind of thing get in the way of doing our job as mercenaries or whatever we are. Whether it's for God, Gold, or Glory, we're all in this together, right?" Frosty then departed back to the bridge where Vakarus was trying to figure out just what in the world did he draw on one of his notes.

Valkyrie and Taylor end up back on the ship, cutting each other a look as they went their separate ways. Taylor went to her cabin, since she didn't relieve herself in the club's bathroom, while Valkyrie returned to the cargo hold. She noticed Maddox was still in there, toying with something at his workbench, while Markus had found his way to the cargo hold. The tension between them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. "I'm guessing I missed a fight." she said, walking over and sitting on a crate nearby. A faint smile on her face.

Markus turned to Valkyrie, "What, ya looking for one?" He shrugged and walked over to Valkyrie who was standing in the door. "Ya find anythin' useful?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe.

Frosty then spoke to Yanim over the comms after Vakarus checked in her status. "Alright, so I scouted out the stadium and I found out something very interesting regarding the race. I could explain this better if you were here in person since I drew several diagrams, but I'll have to make due over the radio for now." He then proceed to tell her about the four cars, their numbers, their rather unusually aggressive driving, and his two theories as to why. "What do you make of this, Yanim?"

[QUOTE]"What, ya looking for one?".[/QUOTE] "Always." she said, with a smirk. [QUOTE]"Ya find anythin' useful?"[/QUOTE] "We went down to a local nightclub. Club Prospero. Full of mobsters. I dance a bit, then spot a guy heading into the bathroom. I follow. Turns out he's one of the higher mob goons. Rich guy, husky, nice suit, so much grease in his hair that you could fill a gunship's engine with it. Kicked him in the balls and was gonna interrogate him. He headbutts me and tries to crawl away, so I kick him again then try to interrogate him again with a knife. Then Taylor walks in, I ask her to help, and she fucking kicks the guy in the face. Knocked him out cold. So...I got nothin'." she said, explaining.

Abraxas wandered away from the team while he saw the Biker lighting up a cigarette. She turned and stared before going back, inhaling. "Nice work." She mentioned. She snapped her fingers in a second and a black bike appeared in front of both. A skull showing in front as a large decal. "I'll be going somewhere, Prospera gets boring for a short while and then you either waste your chips or life away." She gave a faded smile before igniting. The bike let out a loud roar echoing through the section and flames lid up. "[b]See you, space biker[/b]." Abraxas folded his arms. She let out a small chuckle. "Don't die of old age, I'll be seeing you someday." [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9COHyaFMU8&index=2&list=PL3Q4sAMHz8hIy5CMVM-Gmh0C2z_uQyzQR[/media] The Biker floated along with her bike and went out with a bang, traveling out of the port and went to the stars. Abraxas stared but shrugged, returning to the ship. ... Abraxas went to the Labs and dissembled Annabelle and stacked dart and bullet ammo on the table while he was reading Alchemy. He looked on the screen and saw several news articles. [quote]INTERGALACTICA: PRISON ALCATRAZ UNDER INVESTIGATION! In a stunning and terrifying news Prison Alcatraz, one of the largest prisons among the Galaxy has suffered through one of their most massive riots in history due to unforeseen events. An escape has never been successful since 2259 until now! Investigators are looking into the situation and cause for this unknown riot further in order to find out how can Alcatraz not detect a flaw within the system. Aside from the massive casualties several veterans from the Oracle War have gone missing as a result of this event. Though witnesses inside Alcatraz have somewhat described unidentified intruders. "I dunno mang, she was fast, she was quiet, she killed the warden for fucks sake!" "A professional I say. There's no way someone could pull that off." "Was this particular person alone?" "Maybe, it's all fuzzy." "We are currently contacting several allied governments to trace down the whereabouts of the missing prisoners and intruder. Until then we are still investigating for possible leads."[/quote] Abraxas continued working and minded himself what was happening throughout the Galaxy.

[QUOTE]What do you make of this, Yanim?[/QUOTE] Yanim, Rask, Sledge, and Owen arrived on the ship, Abraxas having broken off to pursue his own interests. "I've already reached the ship, Frosty," she said into her communicator. "As I understand it, most of us have arrived at roughly the same time, as well. Everyone, I believe we should convene on the bridge and discuss what we've learned today, and plan for tomorrow. We should not only consider what we know, but also what the Mafia knows we know." In the wake of the announcement, the crewmembers which were present assembled inside the bridge, now a bit crowded due to the swelling size of the company's roster. As per usual, the comm was left open inside the bridge, allowing all members who weren't present to listen in and stay updated on their mission. "As you all may not be aware, we have added several new members to our crew," Neasha began. "Markus Koval and Hariim M'baal have been added to our mercenary staff, while Maddox Graves and Valkyrie Blackwell have signed on as engineers. I was told there was another, a human by the name of Porter, planning to join our security staff. Is that him?" she asked, motioning at Sledge. "Nah," Rask replied. "This is an old friend of the Boss's... what's your name again, big guy?" "Derrick Hammer," he replied. "I go by 'Sledge,' and this is my hammer, Melinda, aka the Hurtstick, aka the Everlasting Gobstopper, aka the Thunderjudge, aka Dio's Holy Driver, aka-" "We get it, Sledge," Yanim interrupted. "Your hammer has plenty of names." Turning toward the crew, she continued, "I've offered to protect Sledge from future imprisonment in exchange for his protection of this ship. He's joining the security team." "So then, there's only one new crewmember we've yet to meet. We should make sure to take care of that tomorrow," Neasha said. "Next," Yanim said, "I'd like to know what the rest of you have been doing since we arrived. Starting with Miss Shuur..." "Certainly," Yuga replied confidently. She then explained the entirety of the operation at Club Prospero, and how the crew had worked together to fool a high-ranking Mafioso into spilling his guts, verbally and mentally. Yuga recounted the structure of the operation, revealed to her by the panicked mobster's thoughts, and associated several key operators with the names she collected with her compass. "This 'Mr. Pyer," Yanim responded, "you all just left him in the restroom?" "We didn't have a choice," Taylor answered. "there was only one exit from that room, right into the heart of the club where everyone would have seen us. We hid him in a stall, at least." "You did what you could," Yanim acknowledged, "but once he wakes up, it won't take long before they figure out what happened. 'Philip Grundar' will no doubt be killed by his superiors, and they'll be looking for the ayr and her accomplices, the ones who forced them to kill a loyal son. Moreover, they'll also know that there's a scheme in place to thwart their plans for the Grand Prix. "What you've told me," she said, turning back to Yuga, "also reveals that once we succeed, we'll deliver a much more devastating blow than what we originally imagined. Lots of blood is going to be shed over this incursion," Yanim said. "Let's make sure we can handle the consequences." [video=youtube;aY9fOHquulc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY9fOHquulc[/video] "What else have we gathered?" Neasha asked. "I have four numbers here," Frosty replied. "27, 60, 83, and 105. They were driving erratically during practice, doing maneuvers that I think are designed to wreck their opponents, just like how Yuga was saying." "Those are..." Owen interjected, drawing on his familiarity with professional racing to remember the names associated with the numbers, "Leo Farcau, Aleksi Lebedz, Vran De'Valga, and Ryan Schafer, respectively. Although, I suppose you all knew that already." "Yes," Yanim said, "but Frosty gathered more than just numbers." She indicated at the diagrams, "thanks to his surveillance, we know which turns are designated for each driver, and the exact methods they'll employ to harm others." "Smart..." Rask remarked, nodding at Frosty. "All this, just to make my uncle win," Owen commented, shaking his head. "They bet on the wrong man, that's for sure. So how are we going to stop him?" "That's why I've gathered you here," Yanim answered. "Hariim has eyes on the whole arena right now. Despite the Mafia's hand in its operations, it's actually owned by some off-world investor and, thankfully, he doesn't approve of the Mafia's 'no surveillance' policy. He can tell us exactly where the blind spots are in the security network, and where Mafia observers might be staking out their opponents. When we get out there tomorrow, we'll do our best to avoid them all, and undo the effectiveness of the Mafia's strategies." "Of course, there's still the issue of whether we want to compete in the race..." Rask added. "I thought we settled this already," Yanim replied. "You said we needed more information," Rask shot back. "And I think we have more than enough information at our fingertips at this point. Just picture it: we walk away with the championship, and the Mafia caves in on itself. It's poetic, keh." "Owen, what do you think? The rest of you, weigh in on this, too. What should we do?" Yanim asked, crossing her arms.

((Right-oh, boss))

-snip-

[B][Mission Update][/B] ✔ Meet the new crewmembers ✔ Determine the identity of the Mafia's chosen Grand Prix winner * Locate Porter * Arrange the fixing of the Grand Prix race

[QUOTE]"Owen, what do you think? The rest of you, weigh in on this, too. What should we do?" Yanim asked, crossing her arms.[/QUOTE] Taylor shakes her head. "I think its too risky. Best just to fuck up their chances of winning the race. Its a sensitive operation, and we need to be as careful as possible." Valkyrie, on the other hand, thought differently. "Just think about it for a second. If we get Owen or someone in there, and they win it, we fuck up their operation PLUS WE TAKE THEIR MONEY! Double the victory." she said, grinning. She was gonna lose money anyway unless the racer she bet on won it. If the guy they stick in wins, she gets her money back and more! "It wouldn't hurt!" she finally said.

"A chance to win and get revenge on Jeb? I can't pass this up." Owen said with a grin. [On the road out of state. Responses will be slow]

Ahaz leaves Alex with a "See ya Chef." He doesn't reappear until January 12th, when he's kicked out of a moving limousine in front of where the ship is docked. He's drunk, clothes are torn and his eyes are red. He lies on the ground, groaning.

"I have an idea." Frosty piped up. "We tinker with the gas tank of Owen's Uncle's car, thus delaying him in the race and ensuring he is kept busy and away from first place by making constant pit stops. This would buy us time to carry out whatever plan we have, at least."

[QUOTE=Sega Saturn;49937831]"Owen, what do you think? The rest of you, weigh in on this, too. What should we do?" Yanim asked, crossing her arms.[/QUOTE] Yanim had briefed Sledge on the entirety of the situation during the trip to the ship, but he was still confused so he just crossed his arms to copy Yanim, only with a lot more flexing. However as he'd only had a bottle of spiced rum for sustenance over the last several months his arms cramped [i]immediately[/i]. First impressions are key and he needed to keep composure. He just had to hold on. [img]http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131126162109/walkingdead/images/9/9c/38881-andy-samberg-the-feels-gif-gjmc.gif[/img] [b][i]HOOOOOLD...![/i][/b]

Alex was amazed at how quickly Ahaz could fuck off like that, that he didn't have any reaction to it. He turned around and headed back to the ship. He made it just in time to listen to the situation being explained by the boss. [QUOTE]Owen, what do you think? The rest of you, weigh in on this, too. What should we do?[/QUOTE] "If we do enter the race, we should make sure that whoever we choose is prepared for this. As for the sabotage. We can probably put the blame on someone else in case the mafia discover us."

Yuga looked at Yanim and then to the crew. "As we have gathered the information needed to be this much ahead in this game, chances for us to enter a racer and help him win has slimmed down considerably." She gestured to Owen, "We can not blatantly enter Owen into the race since the mafia will draw correlations between the two, most likely targeting him first since he would be the only one on the track with a score to settle with the their driver." Yuga crossed her arms behind her back, "However, if we enter Owen into the race under a false name, we can sneak him under the radar. His pit crew will consist of people who the mafia haven't linked to our crew yet. The rest will execute Yanims plan, as I have faith in Owen and his abilities to finish the race as long as we can disable the mafias plan." ... Markus leaned back against the wall behind Vakarus. He didn't contribute with an opinion on the matter, after all he was payed to complete objectives, not have opinions.

Maddox listened while calibrating a handgun. As Yanim finished her briefing he spoke up. "All I need to know is if we need any weapons or armor? Because if we send a guy to race he better have some tricks to counter whatever the mafia has planned." ----- Vakarus remained silent as he trusted Yanim to do the right call, like she's always done during his two years with TBC.

Owen looked at Maddox. "I think during the race, the driver would probably be fine. The car can be expected to take some damage"

"As I see it," Yanim said, "we have enough crew to execute both plans. If Owen is willing to drive and some of you are willing to assist him, then his entry can be a suitable backup, in case our attempts to intervene against the Mafia's sabotage fails. Now, the Mafia is definitely aware of Yuga, Valkyrie, and Sledge. Oh, and Rask too; he shot the manager of a Mafia-owned bar in the leg and left him... as for the rest of us, those who the mob only saw briefly or from a distance, we have to assume they can identify us again, and act accordingly. "Owen should not only take a false name, but hide his face whenever possible because his uncle might recognize him and draw attention. Taylor, Bucky, János, Abraxas, and I should either change our appearances or stay away from the operations entirely. I refuse to stay behind, personally, and so I'll be dealing with my appearance tonight. The rest of you are free to decide how and when to help with either of our operations. One other thing... we will need a racing vehicle to enter into the race. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Markus stepped forward and walked over to the railing. "There's a freighter docked not far from her by the name of Arcturus belonging to the Kromm Armada." He pointed at Maddox and Valkyrie, "Ol' blackfinger and deathproof 'ere could probably barter one of their racing vehicles off them for all that scrap ya got layin 'round in the cargo hold. The Arcturus is manned by feisty Namur and rowdy Khergians too busy gettin' piss drunk and fisticuffin' among themselves so they shouldn't be too concerned what we're gonna use the vehicle for." Markus leaned back and crossed his arms, "Or if ya feelin' ballsy enough we could just nick it."

Owen spoke up. "We could also get one here. It's a tradition here that the winner's car from the previous race is on display at the track lobby. Might be hard to sneak it out, but if we do it would just need a coat of paint."

Abrax observed the new and improved Annabelle after performing several operations of Alchemy on the table. He picked it up and pressed a small button, extending the barrel like that of a rifle length. Abrax turned and fired several rounds into a placed target in the middle of the lab, electrocuting the intended target within seconds. The target fell down on the ground. Annabelle was now capable of switching from darts to stun bullets for other types of enemies. He pulled out the his syringes and inserted them into another gun quickly assembled with the use of alchemy. This syringe gun will prove useful from long distance should a person be injured in battle. But the essence was outright difficult and a miracle he could have done it this early. He parted his desk and saw the chalkboard above and saw multiple amounts of chemistry and equations in front of him. Trial and error is going to be a bitch for the months to come.

(( I finally had enough time to sit down and write this out. Sorry for taking so long. )) ----- A taxi shuttle lands at port. A man says over the intercom "Mind the gap," then in three other languages. The doors open up, people start flooding out of the shuttle. Amelia stands there, with noodles in her hands, waiting for her friend she's known for a long time. Porter. [t]http://i.imgur.com/ikyAMjk.jpg[/t] A huge figure, around 7 ft tall, with a big, bullet resistant suit, a gas mask, and a rifle. He carries loads of equipment: tear gas grenades, a shock baton, walkie-talkie, local EMP device, an SMG hooked into the side, a shotgun mounted on his back, and a tiny pistol concealed in his left arm. He steps out of the shuttle, the last one to leave, and sees Amelia holding a sign that says, "Big Guy" He looks at Amelia, and lays his huge suitcase down, "Ho-lee-smokes, it's been 10 years, hasn't it?" Amelia lays her noodles down, and runs towards Porter. She jumps for a hug, and Porter gladly accepts. "Wow, big guy, you haven't changed at all!" "Wow, kid," he sets Amelia down, "... you haven't grown at all." "Haha," she looks down, "yeah," her expression then changes to a impatient one, she slaps him across the face. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR HOURS" she yelled, drawing attention until Porter waves the crowd off. "A pick pocket, a good one at that, and I went on a chase. I cought him, eventually. He simply ran away after I lifted him off the ground with one hand, heheh." "No excuses!" she continues, "the crew is probably wondering where the HELL YOU ARE! And now they might think that I'm not dependeable, not reliable, not responsible..." Amelia goes on a rant for about five minutes, yelling all the possibilities about her relationship with the rest of the crew. Porter raises his hands trying to calm Anelia down, "Kid, you need to chill," he assures, "We can be a few hours late. It's fine." "Uh huh, we'll see about that," she groans, "let's go," Amelia picks up her noodles again, and starts walking back to the ship, with Porter following beside her, carrying his huge suitcase. She opens her phone and messages Taylor, asking her to tell Rask and the boss that Porter has arrived.

Taylor shifted her stance, her arms folded as she listened to the others. Apparently besides the boss, she was the only one that didn't think they should stick their own racer in. It was risky, as a number of things could go wrong. She glanced over at Valkyrie, who seemed giddy at the idea of sticking a racer in. Of course she'd be. Money was on the line. She didn't care if people could get killed. She felt her holo-tablet vibrate, so she drew it out and switched it on. A message from Amelia? She's got Porter! "Hey, boss. Amelia's got Porter. They're headed back here." [B]...[/B] Valkyrie looked over at Maddox, then back at Marcus. "Me and him?" she asked, making sure he wasn't joking. "I'm fine with dealin' with the Kromm Armada. I've served with them before, so I might can get a great discount on a racer. But you want me to drag him along?"

Markus looked at Taylor, "Well, luv, if ya want someone who doesn't look like he'd turn them in then I can come along if that's all peachy with ya. Then again I don't know nothin' bout racers so I hope ya can inspect the vehicle by yerself."

"I'm standing right here, you know." Said Maddox while assembling another rifle. He nodded towards Markus. "We could both tag along, a heavily armored freelancer with weapons and a shady guy with a bit of crazy eye should be enough to keep us from being scammed."

"Well if everyone is going to do their own thing, then I have something I need to attend to." Frosty and his Voidwalker detached from the Muramasa and flew away elsewhere. Frosty wanted to test his armament to see if it still worked. He found an empty lot which would be the future construction site for a brand new casino. He powered up his lasers and began to carve something into the ground.